Love Interruption
by idiot-wind89
Summary: After their drunken tryst, Klaus and Caroline are forced to come to terms with each other. *Continuation of "Give Me Love"*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: *This has been re-posted due to the site bolding the entire thing, which is annoying and hard on the eyes. I apologize!***

**So this is my attempt at a continuation of **_**Give Me Love**_** (which I suggest you read before reading this). I separated this from the first so that **_**Give Me Love**_**could be read as a standalone piece.**

**To refresh your memories, ****_Give Me Love_took place just after 3x15. This fic picks up in between 3x18 (the episode where Rebekah had Damon chained up) and 3x19 (Damon and Elena's trip to Denver). So please use your imaginations and pretend that the events in this fic went down in between these two episodes. I intend to interweave this story into the events that have taken place up to 3x22, and then use more of my imagination from there.**

**I currently have fifty pages written for this. I had intended to post it in its entirety as one chapter, but I decided to split it up and see what the response is like to the first part of it. I decided to shift the point of view for this one. It's still third-person limited, but this time from Caroline's perspective instead of Klaus's. That is how the fifty pages I have written are currently done. However, as/if I continue, this will alternate.**

**I'm kind of writing this as I go. I only have vague ideas. As usual, I apologize for any errors.**

**Please leave me your comments and suggestions. Let me know if I should continue.  
**

* * *

_Caroline sat anxiously at the table with Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Stefan, and Damon, as they talked casually. She knew where the conversation was about to go, and although she had held back her conflicting emotions before, it was becoming more difficult. _

_The fact that they were at the Mystic Grill didn't help. The last time she was here, she had been with him; talking, drinking, dancing, flirting. As she thought about it, the instinctive butterflies in her stomach followed. _

_No matter what she did she could not get that night out of her mind. He was relentless, even while in her thoughts. _

_She could almost smell his spicy cologne and feel his lips pressed to her neck. It made her shiver. _

_Grabbing her ice water, she sucked hard on the straw, trying to distract herself to no avail. _

_She knew it was best if she forgot about him. Tyler would be home soon, and it would probably only be a matter of time before the rest of the crew discovered a way to kill the original without the death triggering the death of all the vampires - and hybrids - that came after it. His death was best for everyone around her, particularly for Tyler and Elena. _

_Still, she was torn. _

_That night with him had left her with a flurry of mixed emotions that she could barely begin to decipher. _

_What was worse is that she had no one to talk to about it. The minute she decided to speak his name in anything but a murder plot to her friends, she would be ostracized. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if her own name came up as the victim of a murder plot. She knew Damon and Stefan would stop at nothing to protect Elena; even if that meant killing one of Elena's best friends, particularly if she showed any signs of defection. Once she ceased being of any value, she would be disposable if she got in the way of any of their plans. Given both Elena and Bonnie's disgust for him, she was uncertain whether or not her two best friends would even come to her defence. _

_These concerns had forced her to keep her mouth shut and let the mixed thoughts about him ruminate inside her mind. _

_Thankfully she hadn't crossed paths with him since that night. He had been busy the past week, namely with threatening Bonnie and nearly killing Stefan and Damon. She had been busy too, helping Bonnie's mom and betraying him once more by participating in another failed plot to kill him. _

_By killing him she had hoped it would solve any conflicting emotions she had of him. He was her ultimate enemy by nature of her relationship to Tyler and Elena. She was loyal to them, and they needed him dead in order to be free and protected. _

_She had recited that argument over and over to herself a dozen times. However, that did not change the fact that he had been anything but her enemy that night they spent together. _

_With this she tried to convince herself that his sociable and flirtatious behaviour towards her was a front. It wasn't real. He was obviously trying to fool her for some larger purpose. Maybe he would try to blackmail her? Or maybe he had no ulterior motive and was simply acting out a masculine script to get into her pants? His sincerity had to be false. _

_When she had almost convinced herself of this - making herself angry enough to decide his death was justified - she would resort back to thoughts of that night with him. The way he looked at her, talked with her, held her...that type of sincerity was very difficult to fake. _

_However, she knew she had to be wary of his charms. She couldn't trust him. She barely knew him, and most of what she did know of him suggested that her thoughts of his deception were most likely. _

_Deep down though, there was a small part of her that wished her instincts were wrong. _

"Hellooo vampire Barbie?" Damon's voice inquired, removing her from her thoughts.

"Hmm? What?" She recovered in a high spirited voice.

_Both Damon and Matt looked at her suspiciously. _

"Sorry...I was just kind of lost in my thoughts," she smiled.

_Elena and Bonnie smiled back at her, seemingly more understanding than Damon. _

"Well I hope your thoughts figured out a fail-proof way to kill Klaus," Damon groaned, before downing a shot of whisky.

_She laughed lightly, going along with his comment. _

"We should be looking for Alaric's stake first," Stefan jumped in.

_Everyone nodded in agreement. _

"That's going to be like finding a needle in a haystack brother. Not to mention the fact that psycho Alaric may be all too happy to use the stake against us...literally," Damon reminded his brother.

_Stefan shrugged. _

"Finding the stake and turning it over to Klaus will buy us time to find a way to kill him without killing Tyler and possibly ourselves. If we don't find it, Klaus will kill us before we even have another chance to kill him," Stefan argued.

_Damon seemed to realize that Stefan had a good point. _

_She was relieved that they were more concerned about the stake than killing him at this point. This would give her more time to think about her thoughts and feelings. Maybe by the time they found a way to kill him she would be able to convince herself completely that killing him was the best option. _

"All we need now is a distraction for Klaus to buy us time to find the stake," Damon thought aloud.

_Matt scoffed and made direct eye contact with her, making her instantly nervous. _

"Why don't you just volunteer Caroline? She seems to enjoy spending time with him," Matt suggested.

_Her stomach nearly jumped into her throat. What did he know? Had Klaus said something to him?_

_Everyone was staring at her now very seriously. _

"What the hell are you talking about?" Caroline demanded defensively.

"Yeah, what are you talking about Matt?" Elena asked hesitantly.

_Matt glared at her. _

"I saw you here with him at the Grill the other night. You two looked pretty friendly," he informed her and the rest of the group.

_She could barely breathe at this point. She had become so enthralled with Klaus that night she had completely forgot about Matt being there. _

_What she needed now was a good explanation to convince her friends that Matt had misinterpreted what he saw. _

"It was nothing," she tried to assure her friends with a confident tone.

_Matt did not look like he was ready to back down. _

"It didn't look like nothing. I saw you two leave the Grill together," he revealed.

_She wanted to shrivel up into a tiny ball at this point and disappear, but she knew she could still talk her way out of this. All hope was not lost. _

"You left with Klaus?" Bonnie asked in a disapproving tone.

_She could almost feel everyone's eyes digging into her skin. _

"You guys are so quick to jump to conclusions," she chastised them. "Yes, I left with him, but nothing happened. He took me home," she lied. "As Damon pointed out the other day, Klaus is apparently 'obsessed' with me," she reminded them. "Since it worked so well the first time, I thought I could use that to our advantage," she admitted.

"How so?" Stefan asked intrigued.

"Yeah, how so vampire Barbie?" Damon seconded his brother's question.

_Her nerves calmed a bit at the prospect of the group buying into her lie. _

"Well, I thought if I could get to know Klaus a bit more, we might find out more about him...stuff about his past, his siblings, his other weaknesses, the sire bond, ways to kill him. I know it's a long shot, but I couldn't just sit around and do nothing," she explained.

_She noticed Damon's eyes were beaming. _

"Vampire secret agent Caroline, I like it," Damon remarked, amused.

_She rolled her eyes at him. _

"Caroline, Klaus will kill you if he finds out what you're up to," Elena warned.

"I know Elena, but we're running out of options. We need to find Alaric's stake, and we need to come up with a new plan to kill Klaus that somehow gets around the whole bloodline thing, and if Klaus's obsession with me can help us with either of those goals then why shouldn't we take advantage of it?" she reasoned.

"Exactly," Damon agreed. "For once you actually have some good ideas spinning around in that pretty little head of yours," Damon said in an effort to jokingly belittle her some more.

"Are you sure you want to put yourself at risk Caroline?" Stefan asked hesitantly.

_She nodded reassuringly. _

"If this can help protect Elena and Tyler...and the rest of us in any way, then I'm willing to do it. I couldn't live with myself if anything bad happened to any of you - even you Damon - knowing that I didn't take this chance to help stop Klaus," she acknowledged. "I can do this. Let me do this," she urged her friends. "I mean, snooping in other people's business was practically my job when I was a human teenager," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

_That comment received a few laughs. She had to be winning them over she hoped. _

"Well I'm all for it," Damon said. "We need all the help we can get," he said bluntly.

_Everyone at the table slowly began to nod in agreement. _

"Thanks, Caroline," Elena said genuinely to her from across the table.

_A huge surge of guilt hit her in that moment, but she smiled back at Elena and nodded nonetheless. _

_If she wanted to keep her real emotions for Klaus hidden, yet still able to express them, she would have to become 'vampire secret agent Caroline' as Damon had called her. _

_On the one hand she would be betraying her friends; on the other hand, she would be betraying Klaus. _

_She would be playing both sides, and because of that, she felt terrible, but she saw no other way. _

"Speak of the devil," Bonnie whispered to the group, nodding her head towards the entrance.

_Caroline looked up towards the entrance. He was dressed casually in jeans, a grey shirt and black collared jacket, and he was staring directly at her. _

_Although her heart was no longer beating, she could have sworn she felt it skip one beat. _

_Shivers ran down her arms and she placed her bare forearms under the table to hide her arousal from the rest of her friends. _

_Everyone fell into an awkward silence as he began to approach. _

_She reverted to chewing on her straw. _

"Hello everyone," he greeted innocently as he approached the table. "Caroline," he added for emphasis.

_She looked up at him once more, only to be met with another one of his piercing stares. _

"Hi," she replied quietly as she noticed the rest of her friends intently paying attention to their interaction.

"I must have missed the lunch invitation," he commented, clearly knowing that he had never been sent one in the first place. "I guess that's no coincidence seeing as the whole original-hunting gang is present," he observed.

"You might be right," Stefan commented.

_He acknowledged Stefan's comment with a sarcastic smile. _

"Lovely afternoon isn't it?" he added, trying to annoy the table with small talk.

"It was..." Damon responded sarcastically.

"Well I didn't mean to interrupt, but I'm just curious...have you found the missing stake yet?" Klaus asked.

"Obviously not," Stefan answered.

_Klaus smirked as if that was the answer he was looking for. _

"That's too bad," he sighed, before leaning closer into the table. "Because if I don't have that stake in my hands by midnight, one of your hearts will be in my hands instead after I rip it from your chest," he informed them in a low intimidating voice.

_Damon rolled his eyes and Stefan widened his at Damon in response as if to scold him. _

_Quickly and discreetly Klaus latched his hands around the collar of Damon's shirt and pushed him up against the booth. _

"I'm quite serious," he growled under his breath.

_Although his words had been for Damon, his eyes were strictly staring at her. _

_Again, she tried to hide the goose bumps that instantly rose on her forearms. _

_He let Damon go and backed away from their table before his threatening actions had a chance to make a scene in the restaurant. _

"Have a nice lunch," Klaus mused, as he headed for an empty table.

_She breathed a sigh of relief with his departure, as did the rest of her friends - but for different reasons than hers. _

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of his coffin this morning," Damon scowled as she watched him straighten out the collar of his shirt.

"Well it looks like we need to put the search for the missing stake into high gear," Elena noted.

"Maybe we should skip lunch?" Bonnie suggested.

_Everyone seemed to agree. _

"I'm gonna head over to Alaric's," Damon decided.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Stefan asked.

_Damon shook his head. _

"I think I can handle him. Psycho vampire hunter Alaric is smart, he knows he has bigger fish to fry than me," Damon explained. "Go back to Elena's and search for the stake there," Damon urged his brother.

_Both Elena and Stefan looked at each other awkwardly, but nodded nonetheless. _

"What should I do?" Bonnie wondered.

_Damon thought for a second as he stood up from the table. _

"You and Matt head over to the high school and search there to start. If that fails maybe you can find a stake locator spell in your grimoire," Damon told them.

"Good idea," Matt acknowledged.

_Everyone now had somewhere to be and something to do except for her. _

"What about me?" she asked.

_Damon jerked his head to the left. _

"Your job is sitting across the room Caroline," Damon said in a low voice, just in case Klaus had decided to try and listen in on their conversation.

_She bit her lip and nodded, feeling anxious and excited to talk to him all at once. _

_Once all her friends left, she remained at her table for a few minutes, thinking about how to approach him. _

_She decided she would walk past him towards the bathrooms first, hoping that he might initiate a conversation so she wouldn't have to. _

_The last time they had been together they had been in a very intimate embrace. They hadn't spoken since, making her unsure about how to begin a conversation with him now. _

_Standing up from the table, she picked up her coat and purse and began to head his way. She transformed her look of uncertainty to one of confidence as she approached his table. His eyes met hers once more, but she never faltered. She continued to the washroom as planned. _

_The trip wasn't wasted anyways as she had to touch up her makeup and think further about what she was going to say to him. _

_She decided that it was best if she still approached her relationship with him (whatever it may be at this point) hesitantly. If she came off as too receptive to him that could arouse his suspicion about her intentions. Moreover, it might completely push him away. _

_If there was one thing she knew to be true about him was that he enjoyed a good chase as much as the actual catch. _

_When she exited the bathroom she was pleased to see him still seated at his table. _

_She approached his table once more with the fake intention of walking right passed him. _

_As she got closer her breathing quickened accordingly. _

_She was practically at his table now and he hadn't even noticed her. She panicked as she tried to think of something to say. _

_Before she could even consider her options, his familiar firm hand latched around her wrist and pulled her towards him so close that she had almost lost her balance and fell onto his lap. _

_He looked up at her from his seated position and flashed her one of his mesmerizing smirks. _

"What the hell are you doing!" she hissed under her breath, in part out of genuine shock, and also as a way to disguise the fact that she was pleased he had physically prevented her from leaving.

"Caroline, I couldn't help but notice that your friends bailed on you for lunch," he mused.

"I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you've threatened to kill one of us if you don't get the last stake by midnight," Caroline scoffed sarcastically.

_He laughed out loud. _

"Well I thought some motivation was in order. Who would willingly give up a weapon that could kill an enemy if there was nothing at stake for them? Pardon my pun," he grinned.

"Funny," she said flatly.

"Anyways, since your friends are no longer here, why don't you join me for lunch?" he proposed.

_She kept her cold outward expression up, but inside she couldn't help but jump for joy. On one hand this was putting her one step closer to finding out more information about him for her friends, on the other it was providing her with the opportunity to indulge her curiosity about him. _

"I'm not having lunch with you," she declared. "I was just leaving. There is a missing stake that I need to help my friends find," she reminded him.

_He nodded. _

"What harm can postponing your search a half-hour do? Besides, it's not wise to work on an empty stomach," he advised.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"A half hour could mean the difference between life and death for me or one of my friends," she said seriously.

"Love, you have nothing you worry about. I may be the first person on your hit list, but out of your friends, you're the last on mine, besides Elena of course," he informed her.

_She couldn't believe he had said that to her. Coming from the most dangerous hybrid of all time, the fact that she was almost last on his hit list was almost a compliment. It intrigued her. _

"I thought I already explained to you that I would do anything for my friends? I don't want to search for the missing stake for purely selfish reasons," she corrected him.

_He pulled out his cell phone. _

"Well if the main reason why you won't have lunch with me is your concern about wasting a half-hour not searching for the stake, then I will simply extend the deadline to twelve-thirty," he decided, as he quickly typed a message on his phone and hit send. "There, I sent Stefan a message. No more excuses, problem solved; you can join me now," he said simply. "Unless of course there is another reason why you'd prefer not to join me?" he asked innocently

_He looked up at her with a smart look on his face that suggested he was making a slight reference to their night together. _

"Maybe I just don't like you," she shot back.

_Although she knew that had largely become a lie since their night together, she didn't want to appear to be eating out of his hand. There was still a part of her that hated him for what he was doing to her friends. _

"Come on Caroline, we both know that's a lie. You could have easily taken the exit by the bathrooms if you were really leaving. Instead you walked this way. You wanted me to stop you," he stated.

_She gasped under her breath. He was way more observant than she gave him credit for. She was stupid to have underestimated him. However, he had not questioned her motives for wanting him to stop her. He had automatically assumed it was because she had a crush on him. She gave a partial sigh of relief at this realization. _

"You didn't seem to mind me the other night," he said for added emphasis.

_Before she had time to respond a waitress had approached them with what appeared to be Klaus's drink order. _

"Here's your Coke," the waitress announced as she set the drink down on the table in front of him.

_The waitress then turned towards her. _

"I noticed you over here and I wasn't sure if you were joining him or not, so I brought over an extra menu just in case," she informed them as she held up the menu in her hands.

_Caroline sighed with fake displeasure. _

"Thanks," Caroline said to the waitress as she took the menu.

_Klaus grinned at Caroline as she sat down across from him. _

"I'm only joining you because the waitress brought a menu over, and I didn't want her effort wasted. Plus, I'm starving," she stated as she opened the menu, holding it in front of her face so her amused expression was hidden from his view.

"What do you recommend?" he asked.

_She put her menu down and looked at him from across the table. _

_As she took a moment to consider his question, she couldn't help but spend the moment considering him. _

_He was simply dressed in a long sleeve black shirt and jeans, with his hair strewn about atop his head. As she indirectly stared at him she drank in the rest of him; his pouty lips, intense gaze, cheek bones, and light stubble; these features somehow made up one of the sexiest faces she had ever seen. _

_When she realized she had been awkwardly staring at him, she promptly answered his question. _

"The spinach dip is delicious. The French onion soup is probably the best in Mystic Falls...and you really can't go wrong with any of their burgers or sandwiches," she informed him.

"You come here a lot?" he asked.

"If you haven't noticed by now, this is one of the only decent hang-out spots and restaurants in this town," she reminded him.

"If not the only one," he added.

_She laughed and nodded. _

"Once you've eaten pasta in Italy and hung around the cafes in Paris, nothing compares," he informed her.

"I'm still not going with you," she protested, feeling the heat rise on her cheeks as she knew that his comments were made in an effort to reconsider his trip offer.

_Truth be told, she had been reconsidering it since he had brought it up the first time. _

_He smiled, and she couldn't help but notice as he looked down at his menu that he seemed to be blushing. _

"You'll come around," he told her.

_She shrugged and shook her head. _

_As their conversation turned to awkward silence, her thoughts returned to their night together. It had been an awkward lingering fact woven into their most recent small talk, and now that the small talk had dropped off she felt pressure to bring it up and acknowledge it. _

"So I'm surprised you never called me after the other night..." she posed boldly, not really surprised, but only curious about his response.

_He seemed a little bewildered by her statement. _

_Before he had a chance to respond, the waitress made an awkward moment even more awkward by stopping to ask them for their food orders. _

_She had ordered a chicken caesar salad. She hadn't paid attention to his order since she had been so preoccupied with his impending answer to her earlier question. _

"I'm surprised you wanted me to..." he replied as the waitress left their table.

_She could feel her cheeks flush and she rolled her eyes. _

"I never said I wanted you to," she retorted. "I simply said I'm surprised you didn't," she clarified.

_He was smirking at her, and it made her uncomfortable. She felt like he could see completely through her. _

"Why?" he asked.

"Well because you've been pursuing me like crazy since the night you saved me from Tyler's hybrid bite, and you initiated it all, so I-I just figured..." she started to stammer as she tried to explain herself, "I just figured..."

- "That I'd be back for more?" he mused, finishing her sentence.

_She nodded apprehensively. _

"If I recall correctly love, it was you who initiated the other night," he mused before smugly taking a drink of his coke.

_If her face wasn't already red, it definitely was now. _

"Besides, I don't tend to call back young women who sleep with me so easily. It only leads me to question her respectability..." he laughed, conveying the impression to her that he was joking.

_She glared at him in an effort to convey her lack of amusement. _

"You weren't so judgemental when you were following me out the doors of the Grill," she shot back.

"I'm only joking Caroline," he said as the waitress put a huge plate of spinach dip and pita bread on their table.

"Thanks," he said politely, smiling quickly at the waitress before returning his attention to back to her.

"I didn't call you because I was busy and I didn't have your cell number," he informed her.

"Like the all-powerful Klaus couldn't track down a stupid phone number," she scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

_He held up his hands in defense. _

"Even if I had your number I probably wouldn't have called anyways," he stated as he piled some dip onto a pita.

"And why is that?" she asked.

_He bit into the pita and chewed a few times before responding. _

"Because a man can only take so much rejection Caroline," he admitted. "You run hot and cold. It's confusing. One minute you're talking to me like I'm the scum of the earth or completely ignoring me altogether, and then the next minute you're moaning my name, begging for more," he said, adding a seductive tone to his voice to emphasize the last part.

_She shrugged nervously, unsure of what to say to him. Her hot and cold demeanor towards him only reflected her own internal confusion. _

"Can you really blame me?" she asked as she took the liberty of helping herself to his platter of pitas and spinach dip.

"What do you mean, love?" he asked her.

_She groaned. _

"Please don't call me that," she told him. "And I mean can you really blame me for reacting to you so ambiguously? What happened the other night came out of nowhere. We were both drunk. It doesn't erase all the horrible things you have done and plan to do to me and my friends," she admitted.

_He sat back against his chair with a pensive look on his face, taking into consideration her point. _

"You can't just expect that things between us are going to be rainbows and sunshine. I can't forget the kind of person you have shown yourself to be," she clarified. "I'm trying to reconcile the horrible person you are with the different person you are when we're together and that's confusing for me. And then there's Tyler," she argued.

_He was unable to respond further to her comments as the waitress interrupted them with their main dishes. _

_She was relieved for the arrival of their food. It would give her time to think to herself without the obligation to speak to him. _

"Can I ask what you see in him?" he asked after taking a first bite of his burger.

_She swallowed her salad hard and nearly choked in response to his question. _

"Who?" she asked confused.

"Tyler; what do you see in him?" he clarified.

"That's sort of personal..." she hesitated.

_He smirked. _

"I think you should be able to explain why you like or don't like another person," he argued, obviously trying to back her into a corner so that she was forced to answer his question.

_Chewing through another bite of her salad allowed her the chance to consider is question. _

"Well, I see a lot of things. Tyler and I...we grew up together and we also transitioned together in a way. He was getting used to being a werewolf as I was getting used to becoming a vampire. We helped each other a lot. He knows what normal Mystic Falls life used to be like, but he also knows what I'm going through now. We understand each other," she revealed, satisfied with her answer.

"Do you really?" he countered, his eyebrow arched in a way that signalled his disbelief.

"Yeah I think we do," she said hesitantly, expecting him to challenge her.

_They returned their attention to their food for a few minutes, before he leaned forward as if to create some makeshift closeness between them. She tensed instantly. _

"Do you really know anything about Tyler, Caroline? Do you know his likes, dislikes, his hopes for the future? More importantly, does he know anything about you? Your aspirations? Your fears?" he questioned.

_She stammered a bit, dumbfounded by his questions. _

_He had stumbled upon the weakness of her relationship with Tyler and she knew he was not about to let it slide. _

"Hmm?" he pushed.

"Well it's a new relationship," she argued.

"Has he even tried to discover who you are Caroline?" he asked.

_She sighed, knowing he had brought up a good point. For most of their young relationship Tyler had been gone, concentrating on himself, and although she knew it was what was best, she couldn't help but feel neglected. _

"You may have an eternity, but why bother wasting your time on something so shallow?" he thought, before taking another bite of his burger.

_She decided she had enough of his one-sided attack; it was her turn to challenge him. _

"I thought shallow relationships were your thing? So why do you care?" she pointed out.

"You're making assumptions," he retorted. "I know they aren't your thing. I know that you want something more. You want intimacy; something that is clearly lacking in your relationship with Tyler. I just want you to see that," he explained to her.

_She stopped eating and leaned back against her chair with her arms crossed. _

"And I suppose you think you can give that to me?" she wondered.

_He laughed as he took another drink. _

"Only something different," he offered.

_His simple and blunt statement interested her. As much as she was attached to Tyler, the idea of different appealed to her. Klaus seemed to encapsulate that different for her. _

"What makes you any different than Tyler?" she interrogated.

_He pushed his plate to the side, staring at the leftovers with a small smirk on his face as he took her question into consideration. _

"Well, we share similarities and differences. We have our commonality as vampires, but we also have our unique experiences that we can challenge each other with. I can show you what it's really like to be a vampire. And fresh from your humanity, perhaps you can indulge me..." he suggested, the last, more vulnerable part, said in a low timid tone as he returned to his food.

_She gave a small half smile from the urge to burst out into laughter, but she stopped herself. His comments had seemed like another lie to take advantage of her, but he also seemed like he was being sincere and open with her. _

"I want to know who you are Caroline, you interest me," he explained. "Plus, I'm obviously more attractive than Tyler," he said with a smug grin.

_She sneered at his joke. _

"That's entirely subjective," Caroline retorted with an eye roll.

"Well I take the other night as affirmation of your attraction towards me," he stated.

_As their conversation turned back to that night, she couldn't help but blush. _

"There's no need to be embarrassed Caroline," he assured her.

"I'm not embarrassed. I just feel guilty," she admitted to him apprehensively.

_He shrugged and looked at her questioningly _

"Why should you feel guilty about anything?" he asked.

_Her eyes widened at him in disbelief. _

"Why should I not?" she gasped. "All of my friends are trying to kill you, and the last they knew so was I...and Tyler and I may not technically be together any more, but I'm sure me pursuing the man who was responsible for the end of our relationship wouldn't sit well with him," she explained. "I would be betraying them."

"True," he acknowledged. "But you need to ask yourself whether betraying your heart is preferable to betraying your friends..." he suggested.

_She paused, realizing that he had just clearly laid out the moral dilemma that had plagued her since she had been with him last. _

"One of the drawbacks of being a vampire is that you live with the burden of your regrets for eternity," he informed her.

_He was right. Either she would live with the regret of betraying her friends, or she would live with the regret of not exploring the feelings he stirred inside of her._

_Her phone sounding interrupted their conversation, giving her a much needed break from his persistent challenges. _

_She glanced down at the screen, to find a received text from Damon. _

_'Damon: will b sending u an excuse to stay w/ Klaus' _

_Seconds later she received another text. _

_'Damon: found the stake, on our way to get it now' _

_She looked up at Klaus who had been watching her with her phone intently. _

"Bad news, love?" he asked.

"Good news for you. They found the stake. Looks like you'll have it by twelve-thirty," she informed him as disappointedly as she could.

_He appeared stunned by her information. _

"You seem surprised," she noted, handing him her phone, desperately hoping he wouldn't check her other texts.

_He took the phone from her, their hands touching slightly in the exchange. _

_His unsure expression soon turned into a slight grin as he handed her back her phone. _

"It looks like your plans for the afternoon just fell through," he observed.

_She fought hard to contain the delight she felt as a result of the fact that she was actually succeeding at her task. Personally, she knew her success was not the only cause of her delight. _

"Any new plans?" he asked her.

_Shaking her head no, she started to collect her things. _

"I should go," she said, hoping her attempt to leave wouldn't backfire on her.

_He removed his wallet from his coat pocket and took out two twenty dollar bills and laid them on the table. _

"I can pay for my own lunch," she offered, opening her purse.

"Don't be silly Caroline, I invited you," he countered.

_Her cheeks went red again, but she nodded despite feeling a little uneasy about letting him pay for her lunch. She hated feeling like she owed anybody anything. _

"You never answered my question from before," he pushed.

"No, I don't have any plans," she finally admitted.

"Perfect, I have something to show you," he said cryptically.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! I am so impressed by the response to this continuation. Thank you to all who took the time to read and/or review. I appreciate it!  
**

**The following is the second part to what I currently have written. The third part will be coming soon, but I have to take some time to edit it. Beyond this, I have plenty of ideas stirring in my head. I just have to straighten them all out.**

**As usual please ignore any missed errors. I do my best to make all necessary corrections before I post, but sometimes things slip past me.**

**Please enjoy the chapter and I encourage all of you to leave me your comments and suggestions. They are great motivation.**

* * *

"Perfect, I have something to show you," he said cryptically.

_She looked at him suspiciously with an arched eyebrow. _

"It doesn't involve body any of your body parts, does it?" she asked hesitantly, hoping he would catch her joke.

_He laughed heartily as he stood from the table. _

"Sorry to disappoint Caroline, but no, it doesn't. Please, just come with me," he requested, putting on his jacket.

_Watching him as he prepared to leave, she debated whether or not to go. Maybe he was being sincere, but maybe he was trying to trick her. Could she really trust him? Or was this part of another one of his evil schemes? _

"It's a surprise. I know you'll enjoy it. I promise. No expectations or ulterior motives," he told her.

_She chewed her lip and considered his request some more. _

"I don't think I should go," she said reluctantly.

_At this point her uncertainty was an act. She was going to go with him, but she needed to make her lingering reservations appear legitimate. _

"I didn't betray your trust last time did I?" he questioned her.

"No," she answered simply.

"You have nothing to worry about Caroline," he tried to reassure her.

_She inhaled and exhaled sharply to signal that she had made a decision. _

"Okay, fine; I'll go with you," she told him before standing up from her chair.

_He quickly removed her jacket from the back of her chair before she could herself. He offered it to her, opening it at the collar so she could slide her arms inside. _

_She bit the inside of her cheek to hide her pleased reaction to his old world chivalrous behaviour. _

_As she followed behind him, she took the opportunity to text Damon and tell him the progress she had made, quickly deleting the text and others from her outbox so that Klaus wouldn't see them if he decided to snoop through her phone. _

_Once outside, she was pleased to see that the sun had since come out and had warmed the brisk temperature that had plagued Mystic Falls earlier in the day. With any luck, the remaining remnants of snow would be gone._

_She guessed which car belonged to him before he had even walked towards it. It was a shiny black Bentley coupe, with flashy chrome rims. Of course, it was the most expensive looking car in the row. It looked so out of place. _

"Nice car," she said as she stepped from the curb towards the passenger door.

_He seemed flattered by her compliment and that amused her. Who knew that a centuries old hybrid reveled in a traditional human male obsession like cars? _

"It was just shipped to me," he informed her.

_She didn't say anything to him in response, holding back the urge to spew out some snide remark about how he had probably compelled himself a free car...an expensive one at that. _

_He approached her from behind and she tensed anxiously. However, his action was purely innocent, as he opened the door for her, beating her hand to the opportunity. _

_She glared at him and pushed his hand aside to open the passenger door the rest of the way herself. _

"Sorry, old habits die hard," he smirked, as he left her for the driver's side.

_Again, she had to hide her pleased expression as she climbed inside the car. His manners seemed so out of character for him; Klaus, the vicious hybrid. Perhaps he was making up for the other night. Either way, his peculiar habits amused her. _

_In typical male fashion, an obvious effort to show off, he reversed out of the parking space dangerously fast, and then sped forward down the street and to the outskirts of town._

_The ride was quiet, but interesting. At one point she had to slouch in her seat as they drove past her mom's police cruiser. _

_He hadn't said anything to her, but she could tell he was entertained by her actions. _

_As the drive continued, she quickly realized that he was taking her to his house. House was an understatement. Mansion would be a more appropriate description. _

_The house didn't appear any smaller in the daytime. She was still in awe of it. Her house could probably fit inside of his several times over. _

_Although impressed, she couldn't help but scowl at another compelled luxury of his. _

_The fact that he had taken her to his house piqued her curiosity. What could he possibly have to show her here? _

_When they pulled into the garage, she was not surprised to see several other vehicles of different makes parked inside. _

_She scoffed. _

"Do you really need all these cars?" she wondered aloud.

"They all weren't intended for me," he said in his defense. "My brothers and sister were going to need something to drive around Mystic Falls in. They're now mine by default since Bekah prefers to ride with Matt; Kol and Elijah are gone; and Finn is dead," he explained, with a faint smile, signalling to her that she could take his comments lightheartedly.

"I sell you one if you're interested," he offered as they climbed out of the car.

_She balked at his comment as she admired the row of cars. _

"I refuse to pay you for something that you compelled for yourself for free."

"I'm joking," he said from over his shoulder as she followed him towards an interior entry to the house.

"I know," she quipped.

_She had grown quite fond of all his jokes. _

_He led her inside to what appeared to be a rich person's version of a mud room. It was larger than her bedroom and tastefully coloured with large marble tile, intricate crown moulding, bright lighting, and a series of closets and handcrafted shelving which ran along two of the room's walls for storage. _

_As he walked towards another door that likely lead to more of his gigantic house, she stopped to remove her boots out of polite instinct. It seemed like a crime to drag her boots across such an expensive floor. _

_He turned around and chuckled slightly. _

"No need to remove your boots, love. We're going outside anyways. You can leave your bag here," he informed her.

_She stood from her slouched over position and continued to follow him, curious to know what exactly was outside. _

_They walked down a long hallway that opened into several other rooms. The walls were lined with paintings and drawings, but she had no time to stop to examine them. _

_He opened a set of terrace doors, allowing her to step outside first. _

_She assumed that what she was looking at was considered his backyard. _

_They were standing on a long covered concrete terrace that overlooked the expansive countryside and forested areas that encircled Mystic Falls proper. _

_She moved towards the black iron railing and looked down. _

_The basement of the house was a walk-out to a patio and swimming pool from what she could tell from the snow covering it. _

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" she asked, somewhat disappointed, but still impressed by the view nonetheless.

"Not quite," he said, moving beside her. "Come with me," he requested.

_He turned towards the large set of stairs that descended alongside the house in an 'L' shape to ground level. He guided them to the left; taking her towards an area that had been hidden from her earlier view from the terrace due to the structure of the house. _

_As she followed him over the grounds of his estate, she began to grow more anxious. _

_Perhaps he was deceiving her. Maybe this really was a trap. Why was he walking her to the middle of nowhere? She began to perspire as she considered a few dark possibilities. Either he was planning to hide her out here and use her for a ransom for the stake, or he was going to kill her out here where no one would hear her screams. _

"Where are we going?" she complained from behind him in an attempt to get some answers.

"You'll see once we get over this hill," he told her.

_Once atop the hill, Caroline could see a medium sized barn, fenced in by weathered wood posts. _

_Great, she thought. He was probably using this old barn on the premises as a torture chamber for all his unfortunate victims. _

_Although that thought had crossed her mind a few times as they trekked down the hill towards the building she continued to follow him. In part this was due to the fact that she knew running from him was of no use and that she would need a more creative way to escape. It was also due to the fact that the foolish half of her desperately wanted to believe in his word from earlier - that he had no ulterior motives. _

_Once they got to the fence line, he opened one of the large metal gates and let her walk through. As he followed behind, she noted that he had left the gates open. _

_She went for the smaller side entrance to the barn, while he went for the larger door. _

_Getting closer to the structure, the familiar scent of farm swept under her nose - an interesting combination of animal scent, manure, and grasses. Ironically, this smell began to calm her nerves. _

_She jumped with the rumble from the large door being slid open by Klaus. _

_Peering into the building cautiously, she was relieved to see what she saw; farm animals, namely horses. _

_She mentally slapped herself for expecting to see anything other than farm related things. _

"You seem surprised?" Klaus wondered.

_She laughed at herself. _

"I wasn't expecting this," she admitted honestly.

"What exactly were you expecting to see in a barn?" he asked bemusedly.

_She hesitated about whether be truthful with him or not, but decided there was probably no harm in it. _

"Well I wasn't sure what I was going to find in a barn on _your _property," she confessed.

_He nodded in understanding, a small grin playing across his lips. _

"I don't always fit neatly into your stereotypes of me do I Caroline?" he pointed out as he walked further into the barn.

"I figured that since you like horses, you may want to go riding?" he proposed. "I haven't had much of a chance to as of late," he added.

_Again, she fought hard to suppress a smile. This was like one of those dream date scenes you watched in a Lifetime movie. These didn't happen in real life. The only thing wrong with this picture was that it was Klaus who was offering to take her, not Tyler. _

"Have you ever ridden a horse?" he asked, as he walked towards the stable.

"No...well sort of..." she explained. "I took lessons when I was a little girl."

"Good, then you _sort of_ know the basics," he replied.

_As she approached the horses he was with – one black and the other brown – and took in how big they were, she started to hesitate. _

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," she doubted.

"Why not?" he challenged.

_She got closer the horses and extended a hand to the black one while Klaus went for the equipment needed to ride them. _

"Because I haven't done this since I was like eight years old," she revealed.

_He laughed at her as he entered the stable. _

"You're also a vampire now Caroline. You have no need to be frightened of a horse," he laughed.

_She knew he had a point, but it didn't quell her apprehension. _

"You can take a seat on the bench if you'd like. It's going to take me a few minutes to tack up the horses," he explained.

_Nodding, she took a seat on the wooden bench across from the stable. _

_She watched him in silence for a few minutes as he tied up the brown horse and began to groom it. Part of her wanted to record this with her cell phone and send it to her friends. They would be astonished to know that Klaus knew how to do something beyond killing. _

"Good girl, Lady," he cooed to the horse as he ran one of the brushes along her coat.

_Caroline found herself laughing under her breath. _

"Your horse's name is Lady?" she asked mockingly.

_He looked at her with an unimpressed expression. _

"No Caroline. Rebekah's horse is named Lady. The horse beside Lady is mine. His name is Lightning," he corrected.

_She was still smirking. _

"What's so funny now?" he asked defensively.

"They're just cute names," she said. "I didn't think the original family was capable of cute," she joked.

_He scoffed at her. _

"Shut up," he said with a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

"So why did you stop taking riding lessons?" he asked in an obvious attempt to turn the subject away from her challenge to his masculinity

"I stopped when my parents divorced. My mom didn't have the income she has now to afford lessons. Child support didn't pay a whole lot either and she was way too prideful to ask my dad or anyone else for extra money," she explained to him. "And by the time she got promoted, I was more interested in boys than horses," she quipped.

_He laughed, and she couldn't help but feel impressed that she was able to make him do so. His laugh was genuine; not the result of one of his sadistic plans coming together. _

"That's too bad," he said sympathetically, turning serious.

"That I became interested in boys?" she smirked.

"You know what I meant," he said, as he began to groom the other horse.

_She shrugged. _

"I still participated in a bunch of other activities, so it wasn't a big deal. It was just hard listening to Elena brag about her lessons every week," she recalled.

"I sense some underlying tension between you and Elena," he observed.

_She shook her head. _

"Not really. Sometimes though it just seems like everything is about Elena," she admitted.

"I guess my hybrid cause doesn't help," he concluded.

_She sighed, recalling that other side to Klaus that she had tried to shove to the back of her mind. _

"Well at least you haven't fallen in love with her yet," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

_He smirked as he started to equip the horses for riding. _

"Don't worry, Caroline. I don't make the same mistake twice sweetheart, unlike two brothers I know," he stated.

_She quickly recalled a conversation Elena had with her about Klaus and Elijah and their relationship with the originator of the Petrova line. _

"I assume you're referring to Tatia?" she questioned.

_He stopped saddling his horse for a moment, signalling to her that she had struck a chord with him. _

"I see someone mentioned her to you," he said, backwardly affirming her assumption. "The horses are ready," he said quickly, so that she wouldn't be able to pry anymore.

_She wasn't about to ask him at the moment, but she put the subject of Tatia to the back of her mind to be brought up later. _

_He handed her the reins. _

"Here, you can take Lady out," he instructed.

_She held the reins loosely and looked at him with uncertainty. _

"As long as you're comfortable, she'll be comfortable," he coached her.

_She smiled and then smiled at the horse, who's coat she began to pet. Tugging on the reins slightly, Lady stepped forward, and Caroline sighed in relief. She walked Lady outside and waited for Klaus; there was no way she was getting on the horse by herself. _

"Need some help?" Klaus offered.

"Obviously," she said, annoyed that she needed anything from him.

"You want to mount her from the left side," he instructed her, as he closed in behind. "Hold the reins and some of her mane with your left hand."Then you're going to bend your left leg up and put your foot into the stirrup and hop up onto her," he finished.

"I think I remember," she said, starting to follow his instructions.

_To her surprise she felt his hand rest gently on her lower back as she placed her foot in the stirrup. She quickly glanced to the side, letting him know she was aware of his actions, before pulling herself up and onto the horse successfully. _

_She was proud of herself for remembering what she had learned so long ago. She was even able to make Lady stop after she flinched when she climbed on. _

_Of course, Klaus climbed onto his horse with ease, completely showing her up. _

"We'll go slow," Klaus assured her, winking at her quickly, as he tapped his legs and feet against his horse, who then proceeded to move past Caroline.

_She frowned, but noted the possible dual meaning of his words and the butterflies that had emerged in her stomach as a result. _

_Luckily, she got Lady to move, and she seemed keen to follow Klaus's horse. _

_They rode slow, as Klaus had promised, to a treed area equipped with a walking trail. _

_Both of them were quiet. She didn't know quite what to say to him, and she suspected he faced the similar predicament. _

"So you never did tell me about Tatia..." Caroline started, testing the waters to see how far she could get with him on the topic.

"I'd rather not talk about her," he replied, as he slowed down to ride directly beside her.

"I talked to you about Tyler," she reminded him. "It's not a big deal. I'm just curious about her," she added.

"Why?" he asked, looking at her with a serious expression.

_She shrugged. _

"I just want to know what it was about her that secured the affections of the 'all-powerful original hybrid,'" she conceded with a smirk.

_He laughed at her comment, seemingly embarrassed. _

"I was human at the time," he interjected.

"I still want to know," she argued.

_Things fell silent again for a few moments, but she believed he was actually seriously considering her question. _

"She was naturally beautiful..." he said, before pausing again. "...she had sparkling eyes and a radiant smile, coupled with an infectious laugh; that's about the only thing the Petrova doppelgangers share in common with her," he told her.

_The continued to ride through the wooded area, and she remained silent, hoping Klaus would expand upon his thoughts on his own. _

"She had this insatiable curiosity about life. She loved adventure...dancing...and she was a skilled hunter, even though women in the village weren't traditionally brought up in that role. We could talk for hours. She was the only person - perhaps besides Rebekah and Elijah - who accepted me," he said thoughtfully.

_Caroline noted the almost sorrowful expression on his face. _

"It must be weird seeing Katherine and Elena then..." she noted, trying to lighten their discussion.

"Katherine and Elena could never be Tatia," he explained.

"Did you love her?" Caroline blurted out, realizing only after she had asked, how personal the question was, and who she was asking.

_He looked off in the distance, away from Caroline, and then he nodded. _

"I suppose I did. Elijah did too. But any love I had for her ended when her betrayal began," he revealed.

"What do you mean?" she pressed, hoping he would relent and answer her questions.

"She couldn't choose between Elijah and me. Ultimately it was her blood that turned my family into vampires and prevented me from accessing my werewolf side. Any love I may have had for her turned into my greatest weakness," he told her. "Never again," he said sternly, as he sped up on his horse, moving ahead of her.

_She frowned and tried to catch up to him. There was obviously more detail to his relationship with Tatia than he was willing to provide, but she knew to leave it alone for now. _

"I didn't mean to make you upset," she said with a raised voice, hoping he'd hear her as her horse started to move faster.

_When the horse began to move at an uncomfortable speed for her, she panicked. She tried every action with the reins she could remember from her early riding lessons, but nothing worked. _

_They soon passed Klaus on his horse, and against her better judgment she made no signal to him that would suggest her unease and fear. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. _

"Caroline!" he shouted at her as her horse broke into a full gallop.

"Slow down! I'm not upset," he yelled.

_His horse could be heard speeding up in the distance behind her. He obviously thought that she was riding away from him out of anger. _

_She tried a few more times to get the horse to stop, deciding that she would either jump, or call for help if they didn't work. _

"I can't get her to stop!" she shouted.

"Tighten the reins slowly Caroline!" he told her, his voice growing louder as he neared her.

_She tried again, but there was barely a decrease in speed. _

_At this point, Klaus had finally caught up to her. _

"Don't panic Caroline. Try again," he instructed.

_Glancing at him with uncertainty in her eyes, she applied his instructions one more time with better results. _

_They slowed considerably, and Klaus had to slow the speed of his own horse to stay with her. _

"Good, one more time," he told her.

_She tried her best to hold her hands still in order to manipulate the reins the way she had before. When the horse came to a complete stop, she only realized then how badly her whole body was trembling. _

"Toss me the reins," Klaus asked, as he slowed to be beside her.

_At first she didn't like the idea of giving up complete control, but she knew she really had no control over her horse to begin with. Besides, her hands were now shaking so erratically she probably couldn't have held them steady anymore if she tried. _

_He held out his hand, and she tossed the reins in his direction, hoping he would catch them._

"We'll take our time heading back to the house," he assured her.

_She wasn't having it. _

"No, I need to get off the horse now," she panicked.

_Despite her initial fear of getting on the horse, her present fear of the horse helped her to dismount her with ease. _

_She jumped down and stepped back from the animal. _

"Caroline, come on," Klaus sighed, as he jumped off his own horse.

_Before he could pay her any attention, he quickly tied both of the horses to a nearby tree. _

"You're shaking," he said surprised, as he approached her.

_He brushed his hands against her shoulders and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She let him do it. Her excuse was her state of surprise and desire to be comforted. _

"Calm down; catch your breath," he urged her. "It's okay now," he tried to soothe her as his eyes locked with hers and his thumb gently stroked her cheek.

_Once she was able to relax a bit more, she realized quickly how physically close they had become. She also realized that she was no longer shaking or afraid. _

_She scoffed at herself and pulled away from his embrace. _

"You must think I'm pathetic," she laughed out of pity for herself as she turned away from him, desperately trying to ignore their connection. "I'm supposed to be a vampire and here I am having a mini-break down over a horse."

"Of course I don't. You panicked and lost control. We may be vampires - or hybrids but we're not entirely invincible. We can still get hurt even if we heal faster. We're not immune to baser human instincts Caroline," he assured her. "Besides, when you're a new vampire you sometimes forget your strength," he added.

_Turning back around towards him, she smiled appreciatively. _

"It was my fault anyways. I reacted impulsively to your comments about Tatia," he explained. "I shouldn't have ridden ahead and left you by yourself. I'm sorry," he told her.

_She sneered at his admission. _

"Did Klaus actually just apologize to me?" she asked no one in particular with a clear sign of amusement on her face.

_An embarrassed grin appeared on his face as his cheeks seemed to flush. _

"I may be cold-hearted, but I do possess a rudimentary understanding of manners," he argued. "Something you obviously do not grasp," he smirked, trying purposely to get under her skin.

"Of course I do," she balked.

_He shook his head. _

"You never ignore or call into question someone's apology; you acknowledge it," he mused as he walked over to where the horses were.

_She arched her eyebrow and gave him another eye roll. _

"Shut up!" she whined, deciding to get him back with a poor excuse for a snowball that she was able to put together haphazardly.

_Luckily for her, the warm temperatures had created the perfect conditions for snowball making. She threw the snowball as his attention was turned from her, and she crossed her fingers that her aim wouldn't betray her. _

_He turned just as the ball of snow was headed his way, but it was too late, and the snow scattered all over his shoulder as it made contact with him. _

_She burst into laughter at his initial confused expression. _

_When he noticed her amusement and the remnants of snow on her hands, his attitude turned vengeful. _

"Very funny Caroline," he said bitterly, as he stepped towards her.

_He seemed serious, and quickly she stopped laughing. _

_As he stalked towards her threateningly, she quickly tried to think of something to say to calm him down. _

"Klaus...I-I...I didn't mean...it was a..."

_She was interrupted by a large pile of snow that swiped her cheek and ended up in her hair. _

_This was also accompanied by a loud bellowing laughter from Klaus. _

"Not fair! You tricked me!" she complained, as she reached down hurriedly to build another snowball to defend herself with.

_Before she had a chance to stand up, another snowball hit her and splintered atop her head. _

"You're the one who needlessly attacked me first," he chaffed.

_Their short conversation had enabled her to make two snowballs. She threw the first, but he managed to dodge it as he drew closer to her. The second one hit his leg. _

_She exhaled loudly in frustration as she walked backwards, away from him. _

"Your aim is pitiful," he laughed, bending down for more snow.

"Well if you'd stop moving, it would be fine," she retorted, also reaching down for more snow.

_She was too slow, however, and a pile of snow hit her neck hard, sprinkling freezing flakes underneath her clothing. _

_Taking this opportunity to deceive him, she winced in pain and fell to the ground. Lying on her back, she held her neck with her hand and tried her best to fake severe discomfort. _

"Ow!" she cried.

_Letting his emotions take over his rationality, he rushed down on his knees to her level. _

_The concern on his face was obvious. _

"Caroline..."

_He didn't even see it coming. As he tried to examine her neck, her free hand was busy preparing revenge._

Before he could say or do anything else, she broke a decent sized snowball over his head, far back enough that the leftover snow would fall in between his neck and the collar of his jacket.

"Gotcha!" she proclaimed proudly, using the element of surprise and her vampire strength to push him away from her and onto his back so she could stand up.

_Despite the look of pure anger on his face, she noted his laughter. _

"Not quite," he replied, as he pulled her ankle out from under her.

_She screamed playfully as she conveniently fell over top of him. _

_His hands caught her hips to help break her fall, while her own hands rested on either side of his face to hold herself above him. _

_Both of them were laughing uncontrollably, her from surprise, and him at her. _

_For a few moments she had forgotten who she was, who he was, and why they were there together. She was having fun; something she had been missing out on a lot since the vampire drama in Mystic Falls began. Ironically, it was the most dangerous hybrid and the cause of most of that vampire drama who had shown her that fun twice in the last several days. _

_As their laughter was replaced by sharp breaths from their excitement, reality began to sink back in for the both of them. _

_The mood suddenly shifted from one of lighthearted fun to thick attraction and uncertainty as the feel of his body underneath hers and the scent of his cologne ultimately led her to thoughts of their previous night together. _

_She could tell that his mind was also elsewhere as he connected his eyes with her own. Her vampire instincts could sense his arousal. Although she hoped she was being discreet, she knew that if she could pick up on his, then he could most definitely sense hers. _

_His eyes were hypnotic and his pouty lips were begging to be kissed, but she suppressed the urge to give in. That was until he took the initiative and kissed her instead. _

_It seemed like the logical conclusion to their current situation, but she was surprised nonetheless when she felt his lips brush against hers. _

_Her conscience told her to pull away, but her more primal urges begged her to continue._

She realized in that moment that ever since she locked eyes again with him at the Grill earlier, that this is what she had wanted. She wanted him to kiss her and to feel his body against her own. She scolded herself for it, but her feelings couldn't be helped.

_They had been dancing around this the entire day so far. This was the awkward tension that had settled in between them during their conversation. Now, as their lips touched frantically, they were confronting it. _

_The confrontation scared her and excited her all at once. _

_His hands entangled themselves in her hair, bringing her down closer to him; their lips never wavering from each other's. _

_He ran his tongue shyly along her lips, cajoling her to part them. _

_Longing to forget her hesitations she deepened the kiss. _

_In this moment, there was nothing she wanted more desperately than him, however wrong it was. _

_Their kiss, however, was interrupted by snorts from one of the horses, and that was enough to bring her back down from her trance. _

_Her eyes opened and her conscience gained dominance. She needed to stop this. _

_She stood up quickly, brushing herself off, leaving him lying in the snow somewhat perplexed. _

"We should probably head back now," she suggested. "It's going to start getting dark soon," she added.

_Rising onto his feet, he nodded, looking just as bewildered as she._

_He seemed about to say something, before he accepting her conclusion. _

"You're probably right," he decided.

* * *

**A/N: So I just wanted to leave a note at the end to clarify a few things without spoiling this entire chapter.**

- the characters may seem a little OOC, but in my defense, given that these events never  
took place in between the episodes I mentioned in the last chapter, I think I'm entitled to  
a few creative liberties. Like I said, use your imaginations. Given what has happened to my  
versions of Klaus and Caroline so far, their actions are not entirely unreasonable.  
**  
****- if things seem too fluffy, please don't be fooled, and know that this is only temporary.**

**- also, I do not ride horses frequently, nor do I own them, so if any of my terminology or ****descriptions were incorrect, again, please forgive me.**

**- lastly, if you have any more question regarding this chapter (or others) or would like****further insight into the character's actions, feelings etc. Please feel free to PM me! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: As promised, I'm back with the third part to what I have written. I want to thank all of you lovely reviewers. My quick update is largely due to your positive influence and support. Like I said, you are a great motivator. Please do not stop! I love hearing from you!**

**Without spoiling too much, I would like to warn you of the adult content of the following chapter. You were warned!**

**This is definitely an emotional rollercoaster of a chapter, and for all my written emotional rollercoasters there are always songs that inspire me. Two songs I used for this chapter were Damien Rice – "Volcano" and Ed Sheeran – "Kiss Me" – if you're interested. **

**As always, I apologize for any spelling errors or other inconsistencies. There is over 12,000 pieces of word vomit here (good word vomit, I hope), and I loathe editing. Please understand. **

**If you have any questions about the chapter don't hesitate to ask. ****There will be another author's message at the end of the chapter to clarify a few things, but I don't want to inadvertently spoil anything so please, go on and read this lengthy chapter. **

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_With some convincing, he had managed to get her back on Rebekah's horse. He had offered to let her ride with him, but she refused, knowing the last thing she needed immediately following their impromptu make-out session was to feel his body against hers some more. _

_It took longer to get back as they moved at a snail's pace at her request. She was not about to lose control again. _

_The slow ride back was prolonged by the small talk and extended periods of silence between them. Every now and then she would look his way only to find that he was looking back at her, and it made for the most embarrassing situation. _

_When they had returned back to the house it was nearly dark._

She followed Klaus back to the house, eagerly hoping that any one of her friends sent her an update by now regarding the stake. After another confusing encounter with Klaus, all her conscience wanted was an excuse to leave. At the same time, she could feel her body yearning for an excuse to stay.

_The lights had been turned on inside the house since they had left. With no sign of Rebekah, she assumed that they had to be on a timer, or Klaus had a sired hybrid or compelled human taking care of the house. _

"I'm just gonna grab my purse," she announced as they stepped inside.

"I'll be in the kitchen," Klaus informed her.

_She never thought to ask him where exactly that was. _

_Reunited with her purse, she opened it and quickly located her phone. There were two messages from Damon. _

"_No stake yet. Keep Klaus occupied," the first one read. _

"_Here's a suggestion ;)," the second one said, with an attached video. _

_She scoffed at Damon's attempt at humour. The title of the video read: "How to Give Your Man a Lap Dance." _

"_I__'m sure you're a pro at keeping men occupied with lap dances__," she__ texted back before deleting his messages. _

_Back out in the hallway she was relieved to smell the aroma of food. Not only because it smelled delicious, but it had given a sure way to the kitchen without getting lost. _

_She followed the scent into an oversized and expensive kitchen. All of the finishes were of top quality. _

_The numerous wooden cabinets were stained in a rich dark colour. They were complemented by a light granite countertop and backsplash. All of the appliances were professional grade. _

_The detail of the kitchen amused her, given the fact that the house's occupants were vampires and food was really only secondary in their diet next to blood. Food was only used to quell their blood lust, and give them a literal taste of what it meant to be human. _

_Klaus was at the expansive island in the middle of the kitchen, chopping fresh vegetables. Another man in what appeared to be a chef's jacket, who she did not recognize, was at an opposite counter with his back towards her. _

"What are you doing?" she asked confused.

"What does it look like?" Klaus asked. "Making something to eat."

_She looked over at the middle aged "chef" who had now turned around to acknowledge her. _

"This is my personal chef Mr. Davies," Klaus smirked. "Mr. Davies, this is Caroline," he added, turning his hand in her direction.

_He smiled and said "hello," while she simply nodded at him. _

_She knew Klaus could see the look of concern on her face at the presence of his so-called "employee." _

"It's okay Caroline; I'm not exploiting him. He's only compelled to keep our secret. I pay him generously," Klaus admitted.

"That's true," Mr. Davies attested as he turned back towards whatever he had been occupied doing when she entered the room.

"He could just be compelled to say that," Caroline retorted.

_Now Klaus rolled his eyes at her. _

"Then compel him to tell you the truth if you don't trust my word," Klaus suggested simply.

_She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. _

"Fine, I believe you," she said flatly.

_He grinned and continued to expertly chop a tomato. _

"Have you ever had homemade Italian pizza Caroline?" he asked.

_She shrugged. _"Pizza is pizza."

_He glared at her. _

"This isn't just any pizza Caroline. Mr. Davies' mother is from Italy. This is an original recipe. The next best thing to actually going there and trying it," he said seriously.

_She crossed her arms and laughed lightly. _

"If this is another way to try and convince me to go travel with you, it's not going to work."

"I told you I had no ulterior motives for inviting you here. Please just stay awhile longer and try some," he requested.

_This is what she wanted. She wanted another reason to stay; not just for the sake of her friends' mission to find the stake, but for herself. _

"I can't. I'm a sweaty mess from earlier," she reasoned.

"I have plenty of bathrooms Caroline. You can clean up here. The pizza won't be ready for awhile," he told her.

_She bit her lip and hesitated trying to convey the impression that she was legitimately unsure about staying. _

"Well, I did work up an appetite..." she noted.

"I also have more vampire-friendly fare for desert," he revealed, hinting at the supply of blood he had.

_Her mouth watered at the prospect of his desert menu. _

"Which bathroom should I use?" she asked, indirectly accepting his offer.

_He finished chewing a piece of tomato he cut before speaking. _

"In case one of my siblings decides to return, it would probably be best if you used my room," he suggested with a smirk, knowing she would react anxiously.

"Your room?" she asked slowly.

"There's an ensuite. It's right at the top of the stairs," he told her before turning towards Mr. Davies, purposely ignoring her in case of any objection.

_She huffed in defeat and headed towards the front foyer. _

_Although she was nervous about entering his most private space, she was surprisingly curious. He had revealed much about himself to her, yet he was still a closed box. She suspected his bedroom would provide her with more insight into the man who had terrorized her friends and captivated her interest. _

_She opened one of the doors to his room at a crawling pace, as if she was entering somewhere she shouldn't have been. _

_Concluding it was only fair that she got to see his room since he had already saw hers – twice, she stepped inside. _

_Turning on the light switch, the various wall sconces illuminated the bedroom. As she expected, the room was anything but small. _

_Despite the light, the room itself was dark. The floors were stained dark and partially covered by a massive Persian rug. The walls were painted a deep red colour and were enclosed with dark brown crown moulding. Thick black and white drapes hung against the windows, partially shielding the room from the last bit light of the day. _

_The large bed was the focal point of the room. Surprisingly the bed was neatly made with inviting black and white linens. The solid black headboard guided her eyes above the bed where she noticed framed writings._

_On each side of the entrance rested bookcases occupied by hundreds of books. She recognized several works of fiction from her high school reading list. There were also numerous non-fiction writings on a variety of topics: history, science, geography, philosophy, religion, art, among many others. Her mind was overwhelmed. Of course, he had centuries to read all of these. _

_To her right, large French doors opened to another room. From where she stood she noticed an easel and paints in the corner by one of the windows. In between the two windows was an antique-looking wooden desk and chair. A fireplace was situated on the far wall with a flat screen television above and two shelves on either side. Two wingback chairs were in the centre of the room with a paisley patterned chaise lounge. _

_Walking closer, the rest of the room became visible to her. On the walls were several paintings. In the opposite corner to the one with the easel rested a record player. Low shelves along the one wall housed two rows of records. _

_His bedroom almost seemed like a museum. _

_She turned back into the main part of the bedroom. The writings above his bed had caught her eye again and she wanted to determine their significance. From what she could tell, they were old. The papers had been creased, the edges were wearing, and they were also fading and yellowing. Moreover, the writing itself was done in an intricate cursive font, probably with a quill, she assumed. _

_The first piece she examined was written in French. She had paid enough attention in her introductory French class to recognize some words. __It appeared to be a letter, as it began with: "Mon cher Antoine" she also noted "Je t'aime" and finally at the end, "À bientôt. __Je t'embrasse. Votre Charlotte." The letter confused her. The fact that he had framed it and put it on his bedroom wall confused her even more. _

_The second piece of writing was also in a letter format, and in a language that appeared to be German, but she was unsure. At the very least, the letter was addressed to a Werner and signed by a woman named Johanna. _

_The third, and final letter, was written in English. This was a relief. She quickly read over its contents: _

_"To my dearest Thomas, _

_It has only been six months since you set sail for the colonies with His Majesty's army, but I miss you terribly. Not one day goes by that I do not think of you. I pray every day that you will return to England safely and successful once your tour of duty is completed. I couldn't bear to lose you. In the meantime, you will be pleased to know that my father and mother have approved of your request to marry me upon your return. We are now betrothed and we will be man and wife soon. Our parents have already begun to make the arrangements for the wedding. The sadness that I experience from your absence is quelled greatly by this and I hope that it grants you some solace amidst the dreary atmosphere of war. Please write to me as soon as time permits. I am eager to know of your reaction and how you are. In addition to this letter, I will also be sending a package that contains knitted clothing. I know His Majesty keeps his army well equipped, but winter is approaching. _

_I long for the day that we will see and hold each other again. Until that day comes, please be careful and stay strong. _

_Your love and future wife, _

_Elizabeth" _

_She looked at the framed letters fixedly trying to come up with an explanation for them. Why would he have these above his bed? Perhaps they were letters exchanged between well known people in history? Could these men be his aliases throughout time? All she could do was ask him later. _

_In the meantime, she had to find his ensuite. _

_On the wall across from the pocket doors was a corridor that contained three doors on each wall. _

_The doors across from each other led into two separate closets and dressing rooms, both of which rivaled the size of her bedroom. Klaus's clothes occupied one and a half of them and the fact that he had that many clothes amused her. _

_She assumed the door directly at the end, was the entrance to the ensuite bathroom. When she entered and turned on the lights, she gasped at how luxurious it appeared. _

_The far wall directly in front of her was decorated in black patterned wallpaper, while the rest of the walls were painted a light shade of grey. Against the wallpapered wall was a long set of white cabinets that held a black stone counter and two white square basin sinks with chrome fixtures. Two tall brushed nickel framed mirrors sat behind each sink, with appropriate bright lighting above. _

_She noted the floor as she stepped across it. The tile was rectangular in shape, slate in colour, and laid in a bricked pattern._

To her left was a large glass enclosed shower, decorated with similar tile to the floor. It took up almost that entire wall, save for a small enclosed room in the corner, which she presumed to be where the toilet was located.

To her right on each end of the wall were two windows, covered by drapes similar to the ones in the rest of his room. In between the two windows sat a white deep claw foot bathtub. On the one side of the tub there was an upholstered and wood trimmed chair, accompanied by a free standing towel rack. On the other side of the tub was a glass and black iron table that held a few candles and a variety of soaps. Directly above the tub hung a black chandelier and on the wall above the tub hung a fitting painting of a partially nude woman bathing. She made a mental note to ask him whether he had painted that or not.

_She laughed when she considered the bathroom she shared with her mother in their small bungalow. It was a plain and cramped room. There was a small pedestal sink, toilet, and bathtub/shower combination that had been leaking for as long as she could remember. His bathroom was like a spa. _

_Removing her coat, she draped it over the arm of the chair. Next came her boots, which only then did she realize she had worn very impolitely all over his house. Her socks were partially wet, confirming her earlier suspicions that the boots she had worn did indeed have a hole in them somewhere. _

_She removed her grey long-sleeved sweater and hung that over the edge of the chair also, hoping that it would still be okay to wear when she was finished. _

_After she removed her black camisole from underneath, the overbearing presence of the two large mirrors dawned on her. _

_Becoming self conscious, she tossed her camisole beside her sweater and stepped outside of both mirror's sight. _

_She struggled to pull off her jeans. They were wet from being in the snow and they stuck to her skin like glue. _

_Her lacy black bra and matching boy shorts were the easiest to remove. _

_From her purse, she grabbed a hair tie to pull her hair back. Her hair didn't need to be washed, and wet hair was the last thing she wanted to deal with here. _

_Wandering over to the shower, she eyed it with intimidation. _

_Inside it was a complicated combination of various shower heads, buttons, and knobs. _

_She frowned. Perhaps a bath would be easier. _

_Although she hated how wrinkly her skin got from bathing, dramatic images of her fighting with various shower heads, and scrambling to find the right buttons convinced her that a bath would be the less potentially embarrassing route to go. _

_Once the tub finally filled with hot water and bubbles, she stepped in and sat down eagerly. Although she really didn't feel cold as a vampire, the warm water still had a soothing quality about it and she slid down until the water was up to her neck. _

_She closed her eyes and hung her hands over the edges of the tub to prevent them from turning to prunes. If this luxurious bathroom had been anywhere other than in Klaus's mansion, she probably could have fallen asleep like this. _

_As she soaked in the tub, she tried hard to rid her mind of the original hybrid, but this proved to be impossible. All she could think about was their day together thus far. He had bought her lunch, they talked candidly about various topics - interestingly avoiding the topic of their 'relationship' - he took her riding, they played like school children, and he kissed her again. _

_Despite her resistance, she could feel herself smiling at the thought. _

_She touched her lips with her index and middle finger as she recalled the kiss. This time they had kissed completely sober. No longer did she have intoxication as an excuse to hide behind. She had eagerly kissed him back. _

_Exhaling sharply, she hoped the action would temporarily remove the guilt and the conflicted feelings she was experiencing, but it didn't. _

_Now, here she was, bathing in his spa-like ensuite, while he and his personal chef prepared her a meal. _

_It didn't make any sense. _

_Certainly, their actions toward one another didn't make any sense. One minute she was conspiring with her friends to have him killed and rejecting his advances, and the next minute she was hanging out with him and making out with him. She shook her head at herself. _

_He was no better. On the one hand he had almost killed her in addition to killing Elena's Aunt, and making everybody's lives hell. On the other, he had basically treated her like a princess, something she never would have believed he was capable of. _

"What are you thinking about, love?" his accented voice asked, interrupting her thoughts.

_Her eyes shot open and she nearly jumped out of the tub before remembering her current state of dress - or lack thereof. _

_She gasped and leaned forwards, gathering bubbles to cover her front._

"What the hell are you doing in here!" she nearly screamed.

_Her eyes narrowed and she gave him a death glare. _

_It was only at this point that she realized that he had also taken a shower, noticing the long white towel hanging lazily on his hips and his damp hair. _

"All of my things are in here. This is my room after all. Plus I wanted to bring you these," he told her, holding up what looked like a new pair of jeans. "I owe you, remember?" he grinned deviously. "I noticed the door was ajar and I didn't hear the shower running, so I assumed you were finished," he explained nonchalantly.

"Well you assumed wrong," she said sternly crossing her arms in front of her.

_He laughed at her as he set the jeans down on the chair, before turning to the bathroom counter. He began rummaging through the drawers for whatever he was looking for, while she scoffed and rolled her eyes at his audacity. _

"Do you mind?" she groaned.

_Turning his head, he looked at her from over his shoulder. _

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I'm in the middle of bathing. I'd like some privacy," she seethed.

"Oh come on Caroline, it's nothing I haven't seen before. No need to be self-conscious," he told her.

_He turned back to face the mirror, placing what appeared to be some sort of hair product in his hands before running it through his hair. _

_She sat back in the tub, ruminating over his behaviour, hoping her bitter glances would catch his attention. _

_Next, he put on deodorant and some cologne and she braced herself for the enchanting smell. _

_As the scent danced under her nose, she couldn't help but stare longingly at him while he was occupied washing his hands. _

_She took in the sight of his back and upper arm muscles, instantly recalling how they felt under her fingernails the other night. _

_Her sigh of sexual frustration is what finally captured his attention, catching her at her most vulnerable moment, as if he had planned it. _

_She quickly attempted to regain her composure, hunching forward once more._

"There, I'm done. Sorry to interrupt you," he said apologetically.

_His one sweet gesture was quickly met with a countermove. _

_Her jaw dropped in surprise as he removed his towel and hung it on one of the towel racks. _

_The smirk on his face was obvious, and she knew he was only trying to make her more uncomfortable. It was working, and for some reason he took pleasure from that. _

_After staring for a split-second too long, she looked to the wall from embarrassment. _

_She could hear him head for the door and she watched him leave through the mirror, just in time to be embarrassed once more as he stepped over her bra and underwear that she had carelessly left lying on the floor. _

_The thought of drowning herself in the bathtub from the humiliation she felt crossed her mind. He made her want to scream at the top of her lungs, from a variety of emotions. How could one person make her feel so angry yet so sexually charged at the same time? _

_Once she was sure he was gone from the doorway, she jumped out of the tub quickly, rushing for a towel to throw around her torso. After that, she promptly shut and locked the bathroom door, scolding herself for not doing so earlier. _

_Next, she picked up her undergarments from the floor, placing them with the rest of her clothes. _

_She drained the tub, and then dried herself off. _

_Dressing quickly, she put everything back on save for her sweater, jeans, jacket and, boots. The jeans she replaced with the jeans Klaus had brought for her in lieu of the other jeans he had damaged. What he didn't know was that she had already fixed the button on them. _

_She grinned at the thought, deciding she deserved the new jeans for the traumatic experience he had just put her through. Admittedly, the jeans he had bought her were a designer brand and much more expensive, but she wasn't about to allow herself to feel guilty. She ripped the tags off and threw them in the garbage, not giving her the option of reneging on her choice. They had fit her perfectly. _

_After she was dressed, she fixed her hair, pulling it back into a messy bun, and then tried her best to fix her makeup with what little supply of cosmetics she had in her purse. _

_Folding her now damp socks and jeans, she tried to shove them haphazardly into her oversized purse, along with her sweater. _

_She took this time to also check for new messages from her friends, but her inbox had no new messages. It didn't alarm her, but at the same time she felt nervous. They had less than six hours now to find that stake. _

_When she emerged from the bathroom, she noticed the light on in one of the closets. Considering the possibility he may still be naked, she walked past the room hesitantly, looking in from the corner of her eye. _

_She stopped when she saw that he was dressed. He was clothed simply in jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. _

"It's not polite to stare Miss. Forbes," he snickered, likely referring to her earlier voyeuristic transgression.

_'Miss. Forbes.' the way that rolled off his accented tongue made her shiver. _

_He tightened the belt around his waist and looked up at her with that intimidating, yet seductive stare of his. _

"Well it's not polite to walk in on a lady while she's bathing Mr. Mikaelson," she chastised him.

_Turning, he smirked at her. _

"There was no _lady_ bathing in that room."

_She scoffed at his insult to her respectability. _

"Shut up."

_He winked at her and she could feel herself go flush. _

"I see the jeans I got fit you...very nicely," he spoke, quite obviously checking her out.

_She nodded insecurely. _

"Thanks...you didn't have to," she said politely.

"I told you I would," he reminded her as he walked past her in the doorway, just in time to respond to a knock at the door.

_She tensed and decided to stay hidden in the corridor, unsure of who was on the other side. The last thing she needed was Damon or Stefan to see her in Klaus's bedroom. _

"Thank you, you can go home now," she heard Klaus say before the door shut again.

_Stepping out from the corridor, the smell of pizza met her nose. _

_Sitting at the door was a cart holding what she presumed to be their pizza on a covered tray. In addition the cart held glasses, a pitcher of water, and a bottle of wine. _

"The pizza is ready," he said obviously, as she entered the room. "We'll eat in the sitting room," he told her as he pushed the cart towards the French doors.

_'Sitting room'? She thought. She laughed under her breath at his old fashioned choice of words. _

_She followed him to what he referred to as the sitting room. _

"Help yourself," he urged, nodding his head towards the pizza, before turning towards the TV.

_Grabbing herself a plate, she then removed the tray lid revealing the hot and delicious looking pizza. _

_She put a slice on her plate. _

_Instead of sitting down right away, she decided to be polite. Taking another plate, she placed another slice of pizza on it. _

"Here," she said, handing him the plate.

"Thanks," he acknowledged, taking the plate from her. "Would you like some wine?" he asked.

_She nodded as she sat on the floor, placing her plate on the coffee table in front of her. _

"I hope you don't mind," he said motioning his head towards the TV screen.

_There was a black and white movie playing that seemed familiar to her. _

"I just pulled my DVD collection out of storage. I know it's ironic, but _Night of the Living Dead_ is one of my favourite films," he admitted as he poured the wine.

_She laughed, getting his note on the irony. _

"I'm more of a _Breakfast at Tiffany's _kind of girl...er vampire. But I like horror movies too," she revealed.

_He seemed amused as he brought her a glass of red wine. _

"I met Audrey Hepburn at a party in London once," he told her.

_Her eyes widened. _

"Why am I even surprised by that?" she shook her head.

_He laughed. _

"She was really nothing like Holly," he explained, going back for his own plate and wine.

_He set his glass on the coffee table beside her, but sat on the chaise instead. _

_She sat there in awe for a few moments, realizing how much he has probably seen of the world in his centuries of life and the hundreds of interesting people he's met. She was envious of that. _

_She gasped as she took her first bite of pizza. _

"Oh my god, this is delicious," she mumbled with her mouth still full.

"I told you," he replied from his seat behind her.

_Washing her first bite down with a sip of wine, she quickly took another bite. _

_Turning her attention to the movie, she couldn't help but fall into the memory of when she watched it last._

"I think the last time I watched this Elena, Bonnie, and I were nine years old. It was Halloween and it was on late night TV. I don't think I slept for a week after that," she remembered.

"There was no TV to give kids nightmares when I was young," he mused.

"What did you have nightmares about then?" she asked curiously, taking another bite of pizza.

"Nature's wrath, I suppose," he answered, before biting into his own slice.

_She paused when mention of his childhood reminded her of his newly dead brother, Finn. _

_Looking at him wearily, unsure if she should bring up the subject, she cleared her throat. _

"Hey, um...I didn't say this before, but I'm sorry to hear about your brother," she finally said.

_He stopped eating and gave her a serious look, before smirking slightly. _

"I'm sure you are," he spoke sardonically.

_She sighed, knowing she was treading lightly with him. _

"If it means anything, I had nothing to do with it. My friends thought you were all still linked when they staked him. It was nothing personal," she said flatly, eager to defend her friends; hopeful he would understand her position.

_He laughed at her comment, likely noting the similarity to his own defense with respect to the lengths he had taken to secure the doppelganger. 'It was nothing personal.' _

"It was probably for the best anyways. Your friends did me a favour," he told her.

_She was shocked by his lack of remorse. _

"But he was your brother," she said in disbelief.

"He's better off this way; a prime example of my love makes you weak theory," he explained before taking another bite of his food.

_Deciding it was best now not to argue with him, sensing his growing annoyance, she followed suit and continued to inhale the delicious pizza. _

"While we're on the topic of 'loved' ones, I've been meaning to ask you where Tyler disappeared to?" he asked casually, waiting anticipatorily for her response.

_She gave him an unsure look. _

"I have no idea," she said.

_He didn't look like he was buying it. _

"Oh come on, this boy is supposed to be in love with you and he's vanished into thin air...not even here for you when your father died. That's just peculiar to me," he commented, clearly believing she knew where he was.

_She glared at him, hoping he got the hint that her father was still a touchy subject for her. _

"He left after he bit me. I haven't heard from him since. If you don't believe me, then that's your problem," she said boldly.

_Contrary to what she told him, she had heard from Tyler in a brief phone message, but other than that she was being honest. She truly had no idea where he was. _

"Why do you want to know? Do you miss your hybrid slave?" she asked sarcastically, knowing full well she was pushing her limits with him.

_When he chuckled, she was surprised and relieved, even though she knew that he was fuming under the surface. _

"Just curious, I suppose," he answered.

_That was the end of their serious conversation for the time being. Any discussion was limited while they ate and watched the movie. She hadn't been very hungry before, but the pizza was addicting. By the time they were done eating, the entire pizza was nearly finished, as was the bottle of wine. _

_When the first movie was done, the awkward silence between them returned. Having not heard her cell phone sound, she knew that her friends had not found the stake yet. She needed to...and wanted to stay longer without making that blatantly clear to him that that's what she wanted. _

_The buzz she was beginning to receive from the wine pushed her to speak. _

"Do you have the sequel? Dawn of the Dead? I've never seen it before," she asked curiously.

_His eyes seemed to light up at her enthusiasm for one of his personal interests. _

"Of course. We can watch it if you like..." he suggested.

_She nodded. _

_It's not like she was lying to him. She hadn't seen the sequel to the movie. However, at this point she was using it as more of an excuse. _

"I'll be back in a minute," he said after he was done changing DVDs.

_She knew why he had left before he even had a chance to re-enter the room. She could smell it. _

_Her sense of smell proved to be right. When he returned, he was holding a decanter of blood. _

"I almost forgot desert," Klaus grinned as he poured the viscous liquid into their now empty wine glasses.

_She did the best she could to hold back her vampire urges and the physical signs of it. _

_Once she had her glass, she stood up to sit cross-legged on the chaise. _

_The first sip instantly calmed her hunger and her nerves. The coppery liquid was to a vampire what the most scrumptious sugary desert was to a human. _

"It's best served at room temperature," he said before indulging in his own glass.

_He sat down beside her, his legs lounging comfortably off the edge. His closeness made her want to get up, but she fought her instincts. _

"Mr. Davies?" she asked boldly.

"What about him?" he retorted dumfounded.

_She motioned her head towards her glass. _

_Quickly understanding, his eyes widened in realization before he erupted into laughter. _

"Oh no...this is strictly donated. I've been on my best behaviour as of late; staying low key," he assured her, taking another sip.

"Do you miss it? ...Hunting?" she blurted out.

_He seemed intrigued instantly by her question. _

"Yes," he answered quickly. "There's nothing like the thrill of the chase," he added. "Nothing like the feel of a human pulse against the tips of my fangs," he elaborated.

_His description of it all reminded her of her own underlying urges. _

"Do you?" he asked her.

_She nearly choked on her drink. The question was fair since she had asked him. However, she was uncomfortable answering. She glanced at him with uncertainty above the rim of her glass as she took another sip._

_He grinned. _

"Come on Caroline, you can be honest with me," he urged. "I'm not like your friends. I won't judge you," he reminded her.

_Maybe that's why she felt so at ease talking with him. _

_She nodded. _

"Yes. I miss it," she practically whispered admission.

"Of course you do. You're a vampire; it's your nature," he assured her.

_His words were oddly comforting. _

_They shared another knowing glance with each other before she turned towards the movie in an effort to distract herself. What exactly she was trying to distract herself from she wasn't quite sure; temptation, perhaps? _

_The movie played out while they both remained in silence beside each other. _

_She kept one ear out for her phone, but it never sounded. What was going wrong now? She wondered. The possibility that her friends had not located the stake and had decided to sacrifice her to Klaus had entered her mind, but she had faith that Elena wouldn't allow for something like that. She trusted her. _

_As the movie drew to a close, she knew more stall tactics were in order. _

_She expected him to get up and remove the DVD from the player, but he just let the credits roll, preferring instead to stretch and lean back against the high part of the chaise. _

"So I guess the fact that you're still here means that you don't completely hate me..." he thought aloud.

_Glaring at him, she scoffed in response. _

"If you want, I can leave," she said annoyed.

_He smiled. _

"If I wanted you to leave, I would have asked you to," he said sternly, provoking her to arch her eyebrow at him. "But, I enjoy having you here," he admitted.

_Her sour frown and furrowed brows instantly relaxed._

_She fell silent and turned away from his persistent attention. _

"Tell me what you're thinking about..." he pressed as he had before in the bathroom.

_His ability to get under her skin amazed her. _

_She decided to be honest._

"I'm wondering why I'm still here," she revealed.

_He gave her a questioning look. _

"What do you mean?" he asked.

_She shook her head. _

"I mean...I shouldn't be here since every fibre of my being is supposed to hate you..."

"But..." he interrupted her.

_She paused and hesitated. _

"But obviously I don't, as you already pointed out..."

_He attempted to reach for her hand, but she stood before he could. _

"Ever since the other night all I can think about is you. It's confusing and annoying," she exclaimed.

"Good thoughts I hope?" he asked, trying to be cheeky.

_She scoffed at him and turned to one of the paintings on the wall. _

_It was a cityscape. She noted that the other painting alongside the first she noticed was also a cityscape. _

"Did you paint these?" she asked, desperately trying to change the subject, caring little about how obvious she was being.

"Yes," he answered from behind her, still lounging on the chaise.

"Where were they painted?" she asked.

_She heard him turn off the TV and then stand up and walk around towards her. _

"I painted these at the turn of the twentieth century," he recalled. "Paris and Amsterdam," he revealed. "I have a few other cityscapes in storage, but these are my favourite," he told her.

"Why?" she asked readily.

"Two of my favourite cities...but mainly because the paints just flowed together so effortlessly and effectively on the canvas when I painted them," he decided.

"What about the woman in your bathroom, did you paint her?" she questioned, eager to hear his answer.

_She heard him smirk behind her. _

"Marianne? Yes, I did. From life," he added, likely for her reaction.

"Was she your girlfriend?" she asked, as she moved in front of the second painting.

_He laughed again. _

"No. No. She was just a chambermaid I had an affair with," he admitted.

_She swallowed hard at his last comment. _

"A compelled one, I presume," she retorted.

_She heard him step behind her and snicker. _

"From time to time, women do give themselves freely to me," he countered. "If there's anyone who shouldn't have trouble believing that, it's you," he said smoothly, causing the fine hair on her arms to rise.

_She sneered at his comments, keeping her back towards him. There was no way she was giving him the satisfaction of seeing how he had impacted her. _

"Could it be Caroline that perhaps you are jealous?" he pushed, chuckling under his breath.

_This time she couldn't prevent herself from turning around to confront him. _

"Jealous? Are you insane?" she groaned. "Why would I be jealous? I already have two drawings that you did of me without my consent, thank you very much. One of which was on the back of a math assignment that I had to completely redo..." she said scornfully. "Trust me, I'm not jealous," she finished, before turning away from him once more.

_She couldn't believe his presumption. Part of her wanted to slap him across the face, another, more rational part of her, wondered if he had a point. _

"You have nothing to be jealous of," he said. "Marianne was a means to an end," he assured her. "You're different..." he trailed off.

_His last words tied her stomach in knots. What did he mean by that?_

_Before she could ask him, he continued to speak. _

"To be honest, I'm wondering the same thing as you Caroline," he said. "What I'm still doing here with you? I mean, you've tried with your friends to have me killed; you're my sired hybrid's girl; you've rejected me on numerous occasions; and yet, I still can't seem to keep away from you," he explained, almost angrily.

_Silence dominated, save for both of their consistent breathing. _

"I should be focusing on not getting myself killed, but you are proving to be quite the delightful distraction," he said in a deep voice that rumbled across her skin.

_He was standing directly behind her now; she could feel his bated breath on the back of her neck. _

"You consume my thoughts Caroline," he confessed.

_She inhaled sharply in response. She was surprised and beguiled by his words. Nobody spoke to her like he did. Nobody's words had ever had such an effect on her like his. _

_When his hands danced lightly on her bare shoulders, she flinched with excitement and trepidation._

"Klaus..." she whispered meekly, in secret hopes that he would ignore her protests.

_Her breath stopped in her throat when she felt his lips press lightly against her neck. _

_That one gesture had planted a spark within her; one she knew would ignite if he dared to go any further. _

"Ever since the other night, there's not an hour that goes by that I don't think of you...your charm; your laugh; your infectious smile; your lips..." he paused and kissed her shoulder as he slid one of the straps of her shirt down her arm, "the way they taste; the perfect curves of your body; the feel of you writhing against me," he described. "Caroline, you're intoxicating," he concluded breathily.

_At this point her chest was heaving and she was quivering under his touch. _

_She knew she had brought this on herself by deciding to play the role of Klaus bait for her friends...and for herself. If she was being completely honest with herself, deep down she had hoped their day together would end like this. However, no matter how delicious his soft enticing kisses felt against one of her shoulders, her persistent conscience was still resting on her other one. Had she been here strictly as Klaus bait, perhaps there would be no second guessing. She was here as more than Klaus bait though, and thus, she was betraying her friends and Tyler. _

"Klaus...stop," she said, peeling herself away from the hybrid.

_She stepped towards the entrance to his room, her back still turned to him. _

_He sighed in frustration. _

"We don't have to do this. I'll stop if you want me to," he said.

"I want to do this; I don't want you to stop, that's the problem," she confided.

_As if her confession had given him renewed confidence, he approached her from behind once more. _

"It doesn't have to be a problem," he told her. "If it's what you want, then shouldn't that be all that matters?" he asked her.

_She scoffed at how simple he was making a complex situation. _

"But what about my friends? Tyler?" she thought aloud.

_She recoiled when his hand coasted up her arm. _

"Caroline, you need to start living life for yourself; you need to do what you want. Your feelings are the only truth in life; abstract morality is only theory. Do what you feel, not what you think. You'll find life becomes more exciting that way," he advised.

_Taking his words into consideration, only led her to think about what he had asked earlier: what was more preferable, betraying her heart or betraying her friends? _

_When his lips grazed the skin of her back she jolted forwards, nearly tripping over her own feet, but he held her in place. _

"Give it a chance, love," he whispered as his hands tightened around the hem of her camisole.

_She repressed a moan and closed her eyes as his lips continued their path along her back. _

_All she wanted in this moment was for him to continue. _

_His words and touch were powerful enough to take her away from reality; to subdue her nagging guilty conscience. _

_This felt too good to be shameful, she thought, as his hands pulled her shirt up and over her head. _

_Before her shirt fell to the ground, his hands were already on the clasp of her bra. _

_He pushed the straps slowly off her shoulders, and she straightened her arms so that it joined her shirt on the floor. _

_She arched her back at the sensation of his fingertips running down her spine as he tugged gently at her hair tie, releasing her wavy mess of hair. _

"I like your hair like this," he said, nuzzling her hair.

_Her lips curved into a smile._

_All his subtle teasing was becoming too much for her. _

"Kiss me," she whispered, turning her head to the side to meet his lips from behind her.

_Their lips met hesitantly for the second time that day. _

_She deepened the kiss, desperately needing to feel him; needing a distraction. _

_Brought on from the same desires, she placed her hand over his on her hip, dragging it upwards so that she could feel his palm against the flesh of her stomach and then her breast. _

"Look at me Caroline," he spoke, urging her to turn around.

_She hesitated, knowing that if she faced him, there would be no going back. _

_Biting her lip, she followed through with his request, turning to meet his seductive gaze. _

_She could feel the freshly consumed blood rushing through her veins at top speed towards the apex of her thighs. _

_If it was possible, he had made her even more anxious an aroused than the last time they were together. _

_Drunk off the smell of his cologne, freshly washed clothes, and the sight of him staring at her like he wanted to completely ravish her, she made the next move. _

_Grabbing the loose fabric of his shirt she pulled him into her, kissing him intensely. _

_She was addicted to his lips and the lightheaded feeling kissing him gave her. No other lips did that to her. _

_Instinctively, his hands framed her face, tangling themselves in her loose strands of hair. _

_She let their kissing linger for awhile, nibbling his bottom lip before he returned the favour. _

_Eager to feel his naked flesh against hers, she did as he had earlier, and tugged at his t-shirt. _

_Raising his arms, he allowed her the satisfaction of dragging her hands up his bare chest as she removed his shirt. _

_She wasn't quite sure what came over her when she was with him, but she had never been more attracted to someone; so enthused about sex. Sure, she had been horny for Tyler, but this was different. With Tyler it was only the release he could help provide her with that she was after. With Klaus, it was more than that. She couldn't get enough of him. She wanted to feel him all over her. She wanted to do all she could to please him. She wanted to make it last as long as it could. Most of all, she didn't feel shy or ashamed about expressing any of these desires with him. _

_She licked, bit, and sucked at the newly exposed skin of his front, while raking her finger nails down his back fulfilling her tiny fantasy from earlier. _

_This elicited some low groans of appreciation from him, and this only intensified her wanting. She had never felt so lusted after. _

_Knowing that he had issues with surrendering control, she wasn't surprised when she felt his hand grasp a chunk of her hair, pulling her head back forcefully. _

_With one hand holding her head in place, and the other digging its fingertips into her lower back, he gave her a taste of her own medicine. _

_His lips attacked the skin of her neck, provoking a pleased shriek from her in response. _

_While he was distracted, she took the opportunity to play with his belt buckle. _

"Someone's eager..." he noted in that delicious accent of his.

"I want you," she admitted bluntly as his lips worked their way up the side of her neck and cheekbone to her ear. "I want to feel you."

_She could feel him grin against her face. _

"Love, you don't know how fucking sexy that sounds coming from your mouth," he whispered.

_His dirty talk along with expletive she wasn't used to hearing from him turned her stomach into the most delightful of knots. _

_When she heard the metal of his belt buckle clink against his pants, she sighed in relief, quickly undoing the button, exposing more of the trail of soft hair that led to his growing erection._

_Next, she pulled at his jeans, enough that they fell and rested on his thighs. _

_She loved that he went commando. Tyler would never consider it. _

"Feel me then," he dared her before kissing her lips hard.

_Happily complying, she ran her fingertips over his abdomen and then along the shaft of his manhood, recalling how it had more than satisfied her the other evening. _

_As they continued their heated kissing, she gripped his erection and began to stroke the velvety skin. _

_His hands began to wander over her breasts while she continued to jack him off, as if he was trying to distract himself. The vibration against her lips from his soft moans suggested that he was enjoying himself. _

_She parted the kiss, trailing her lips down his neck and onto his chest, endeavouring to go lower, until one of his hands grabbed her hair again and prevented her from doing so. _

"You need to stop that," he said almost regrettably as his other hand held her wrist, preventing any further stimulation on her part.

"But I want to continue," she said disappointedly, as he pulled her back up to his level.

"Another time; I want to taste you," he growled.

_Noting the vampire features on his face emerge, she readily tipped her head to the side, ready for him to puncture her skin with his fangs. _

"No, no, sweetheart," he smirked, before kissing her. "Not like that," he admitted against her cheek.

_She froze when she realized what he wanted to do. _

_Before she could hide her nervous look, he had already seen it cross her face. _

"Has anyone ever gone down on you before, Caroline?" he asked her with great intrigue.

"Tyler tried once," she said meekly. "It didn't go so well," she added with a red face.

_Tyler had tried once and it was a disaster. Either he was talentless or her body had been unreceptive. She suspected the former was the case. _

_His smile widened as he stepped out of his own pants. _

"He obviously wasn't doing it right then," he said self-assuredly.

_Her knees almost gave out with his words. _

_In an effort to calm her nerves, he started slow, kissing her lips, while patiently undoing the button of her jeans this time. _

_Much like she had done earlier, he pulled the jeans down to her thighs, revealing her black boy shorts, which he stopped to admire. _

"Sit down on the bed," he instructed her.

_His demanding tone surprised and excited her. She walked shakily over to his bed, sitting and sinking into the large comforter that blanketed his bed. _

_He followed her into his bedroom with an almost predatory look on his face. _

_Her chest was heaving again out of anxious anticipation. _

_She could feel evidence of her arousal pool between her thighs as he approached her. _

_From his standing position in front of her, he was looking down at her. He lifted her chin with his hand and leaned down, placing another rough kiss on her lips. _

_With that, he dropped to his knees and brought his hands to the edge of her pants. _

_He pulled her pants down the rest of the way, never once losing eye contact with her. _

_His hands ran up the length of her legs, warming them and giving her goose bumps at the same time. _

_When his fingertips reached the hem of her underwear, she sat up obligingly and allowed him to remove the last piece of material she had on. _

_She admired the sight of him like this. Never in a million years did she think she would ever see Klaus Mikaelson on his knees for anyone. But, here he was, on his knees in front of her, with his hands inching up her legs. _

_Gripping her hips, he pulled her closer to the edge of the bed. _

_He kept his eyes fixed on hers, while his soft lips made contact with the equally soft skin of her legs. _

_As his kisses inched their way up to her thighs, the fact that he was really going to go down on her began to sink in. _

_She struggled to prevent her legs from shaking. Sure, she was curious to know what it could really feel like, but the thought of any man between her legs like this had made her nervous and self-conscious. _

_He nipped lightly at the insides of her upper legs as she watched him move closer to her centre. _

_The stubble on his cheeks tickled her skin there in the most pleasurable way. _

_Her legs tensed when his hot breath glided over her sensitive folds. _

"Relax, love," he smirked as he gave her a quick glance. "Lie back," he told her.

_Deciding it might be more comfortable, she complied with him. _

_She fell back into the soft comforter and sucked in a breath as she waited for him to make his move. _

_Two of his fingers spent time tracing the length of her slit up to the sensitive nub tucked behind equally sensitive skin. She grew wetter with every touch. _

_When he repeated the same action with his tongue, she could barely suppress her verbal appreciation. _

_He continued, swirling his tongue agonizingly slow around her clit, as he used his index finger to penetrate her. _

_With this, she moaned loudly, surprising the both of them. _

_Her cheeks reddened and she tried clenching the fabric of the comforter to displace her need for verbal expression. _

"Be as loud as you want, sweetheart," he encouraged as he inserted another finger inside of her aching womanhood.

"Don't stop," she begged, frustrated by the loss of his oral attention.

_He smirked at her before returning his mouth and tongue to her centre. _

_While he continued, his remaining free hand snaked its way up to her breast, serving only to enhance her pleasure. _

_She moaned gratefully in response to the added stimulation. _

_The pressure that was building between her legs was almost unbearable. _

_Every movement of his tongue and thrust of his fingers was bringing her closer and closer to that edge she was so eager for her body to fall from. _

_Desperate for all the contact she could get, she boldly ran her hands through his hair as a means to hold him in place. _

_Her legs were shaking almost uncontrollably at this point and she draped them over his shoulders, digging the heels of her feet into his back in an effort to contain herself. _

_She was breathing sporadically now, and her body was tense and hot all over. _

"Please, don't stop," she begged again, knowing she was at his mercy for her release.

_She had probably gave his ego an unnecessary boost, and she knew that he would probably use this moment of weakness against her, but at this point she could care less. All she wanted was to slip over that edge. _

_When she opened her eyes to see his looking back her from between her legs that was the final push she needed. _

_She cried out as the familiar and intense feeling of her orgasm began to ripple through her body. _

_He continued to pleasure her, prolonging the yummy aftershocks she felt as she tried to come down from her heavenly high. _

_She couldn't believe his tongue had the power to make her come undone like that. Any orgasm was enjoyable, but this would be her newest guilty pleasure; a guilty pleasure that she knew only he could grant her. She shuddered at the thought. _

_Propping herself up on her elbows, she caught him licking the evidence of her orgasm off of his fingers. _

"You taste delicious," he observed. "Better than blood," he added.

_She blushed and laughed at his remark. _

"I'm completely serious, love," he told her as he climbed onto the bed in between her legs.

_He kissed up her torso, before arriving at her lips. _

"How was it?" he asked, as if he didn't already know what her answer would be.

_She couldn't help but grin. _

"It felt...amazing," she beamed.

_He mirrored her pleased expression. _

"We can do it again, if you'd like," he offered, in between the kisses he was planting along her neck and jaw.

_He stopped and looked down at her, waiting expectantly for her response. _

_She felt like she was having another out of body experience as she looked up at him. In this moment she wasn't Caroline Forbes, and he was not Klaus Mikaelson; bitter enemies. She didn't recognize him as Klaus anymore. They were free from the reality of who they were and the circumstances surrounding their tryst when they were like this. _

"No," she replied.

_He seemed surprised and worried by her answer. _

"I want you inside of me," she whispered, as if her confession was a secret to be kept between them.

_In a way, it was. _

_He gave her no reply, except for a hesitant kiss. _

_She kissed him back forcefully, needing to feel his lips and the burning passion that seemed to emanate from them. _

_As their frenzied kissing continued, he eased himself inside of her unexpectedly. _

_She gasped into their kiss and wrapped her legs around his hips as he continued his welcome intrusion. _

_His actions had surprised her. But as much as she would have liked some warning, she reveled at his boldness; that he would just take her as he pleased. _

_She knew he could take her as he pleased, because she would let him. At some point during their short time together, a part of her had become his. _

_As he licked and fondled her sensitive breasts, she wondered if it worked both ways. Would he allow her to take him as she pleased? _

_She decided test him. _

_Taking advantage of his distracted state, she used her vampire strength and speed to turn the tables so that she was now on top of him, straddling his hips. _

_Uncomfortable with being submissive, she fully expected him to flip her back over so she was beneath him once more. _

_Instead, he remained underneath her, staring up at her intensely and longingly. _

_She disguised her smug grin of success with a smile of pleasurable satisfaction. _

_Resting her hands on his chest, she pushed herself off of him before grinding her hips back down against his. _

_He grunted loudly as he dug his fingertips into the skin of her thighs. _

_She moved her herself in a steady rhythm, concentrating both on how he felt inside of her this way, and his response to her movements. _

_His eyes were shut, and his lips were parted slightly, allowing unsuppressed moans to escape. _

_This was the only opportunity she really had to study him without him questioning her intent. _

_She leaned forward, putting her chest against his, so she could reach his lips with hers. _

"I want you close to me," she whispered.

_She felt him tense instantly with her admission. _

_His eyes opened and he looked up at her with a glint of vulnerability. _

_He lay under her for a bit longer as she rode him, almost in hesitation, before he sat up, taking her into his lap. _

_They had been like this the last time they were together, only the last time they had just finished. She recalled how strangely comforting it had been then...and noted how strangely erotic and intimate it had become now. _

_She wrapped her arms around his neck for support. Her legs were around his waist, while his hands were under her thighs, assisting her as she continued to envelop him. _

_Their torsos were pressed against each other's, and their faces were mere inches apart, while their eyes stared intensely into one another's. _

_The only noise in the room to be heard was the natural sounds of their bodies moving in sync with one another and their laboured breathing. _

_As much as she wanted to focus on him, she was becoming lost in the delicious sensation of him inside of her. _

_He didn't seem to mind, as he kissed his way from her lips to her neck. _

_She was practically panting at this point as her entire body clenched around his in build up to another much anticipated release. _

_Her face was buried in the crook of his neck as she concentrated on chasing another high. _

_His hot breath crashed sporadically against her ear. _

_She curled her fingers in his hair tightly and whimpered against his neck in pleasurable frustration as her orgasm loomed just above her grasp. _

"Kiss me, Caroline," Klaus said hoarsely.

_His request bewildered her, as it seemed out of his character to ask or demand beforehand. _

_However, she acquiesced to his desire and kissed him fervently. _

_As they kissed, the delectable waves of her orgasm began to surge out from between her thighs to the rest of her body. _

_The feeling was so overwhelming and she had to break their kiss to gasp for fresh air. _

_While her walls began to spasm erratically and gratefully around him, she could feel the result of his own orgasm release within her. _

_His fingers dug into the small of her back as he groaned blissfully against her shoulder. _

_She held him against her as his body shook from his climax. _

_As they both slowly recovered from the euphoria they had shared together - another first for her – she kissed his cheek and ran her hands through the short waves and curls of his hair. _

_Pulling back from him, she noted the look of interest and uncertainty he was giving her._

_With time drawing further away from their intimate moment, the thick air of sex and passion in the room suddenly gave way to a thick air of awkwardness and ambiguity. _

_In an instant she went from being completely confident in her decision and so connected to him, to feeling self conscious and unsure. _

_She climbed off of him and fell back against the pillows on the bed. Sighing quietly, she looked up at the ceiling, ignoring his persistent stare. _

_He huffed and slid off the bed before heading towards the bathroom. _

_She cursed herself for not thinking about disappearing to the bathroom before he did. _

_Closing her eyes, she tried to enjoy the softness of his bed, but there were a million thoughts rushing through her mind. _

_Turning on her side, she noticed the clock on his nightstand. Although it was in roman numerals, she quickly realized that it was just past twelve thirty. The deadline Klaus had set for them had passed without word from Damon. _

_Her stomach quickly tied itself into knots and she began to worry. _

_When the door to the bathroom opened once more, she tried hurriedly to regain her neutral composure. _

_He stopped at his closet, before returning dressed in sweatpants. _

"Wow, now I feel under-dressed," she remarked, hoping her comment would lighten the mood.

_Laughing, he climbed back onto the bed beside her. _

"I think you're very suitably dressed," he replied, as he lay down on his side.

_She scoffed and rolled her eyes. _

_Things fell quiet again as he studied her. _

_Her body tightened when his fingertips touched the side of her stomach. _

_Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, and anxious about the time, she decided to bring it up. _

"You know, it's past twelve thirty..." she said hesitantly, looking away from him, favouring the ceiling again instead.

_His touch promptly ceased and he fell onto his back, sighing loudly. _

_He seemed conflicted and frustrated. _

"I know," he answered, swallowing hard.

_She waited for him to say anything else. She couldn't gauge his mood from his vague response. _

_His head draped to the side so that he was facing her. _

Sighing, he finally spoke. "What are you doing to me, Caroline Forbes?"

_She froze with his words. _

_She didn't know what to say. She didn't think she was doing anything to him, and if she was, she wasn't sure what. She was busy trying to figure out what exactly he was doing to her. _

_He sat up and leaned forward so that his back was towards her. _

_After a lingering moment of silence, he decided to elaborate. _

"Why is it so difficult to remember my original purpose for coming here when I'm with you?" he scolded himself.

_Part of her wanted to wrap her arms around him, and the other wanted to leave and wallow in her guilt._

_He lied back down beside her; leaving a generous distance in between them, as he studied her expression. _

_They both realized they had hit a touchy subject for the both of them; the contradiction of their 'relationship' (whatever that relationship was at this point)._

_A change of topic was in order. _

"So when you do get the stake, what do you plan to do?" she probed, wondering if perhaps he would give her any useable information for herself and her friends.

_He looked up at the ceiling, ignoring her pressing stare. _

"Well, I'm gonna burn the stake, take the doppelganger and get the hell out of this town," he said bluntly.

_She tensed, knowing that he had clearly just told her that he would be taking Elena when he was ready to leave. However uncomfortable she was with that admission, she was even more uncomfortable with the disappointment that settled inside of her when he didn't beg her again to go with him. _

_The look on his face suggested he had told her his plans for Elena and his departure purposely to fluster her. _

_She too looked up at the ceiling and scoffed. _

"Why do I forget that you want to drain my best friend of blood when I'm with you?" she whispered shakily.

_The presence of the contradiction had returned. The reminder of the other part of him had unsettled her. There was a gnawing pain in her stomach. Her throat was throbbing and her eyes began to sting. For some stupid reason she felt like she wanted to cry. _

_Biting the inside of her cheek hard, that pain removed the urge to spill tears. _

_They met each other's eyes, and for a second she thought she could sense some guilt in his almost emotionless expression. _

_In an instant, he turned away again and so did she. _

_Lying there naked on his bed beside him in dead silence for what seemed like hours was killing her. _

_Noting the frames on his wall again, she decided to speak up and change the subject once more. _

"Can I ask you something?" she wondered as she sat up.

_He turned so she could see the side of his face, acknowledging that she could proceed. _

"Those frames on the wall...the letters...what are they? I mean...what's their significance?" she asked.

_His face contorted into a combination of interest and hesitation. _

"They're letters..." he trailed off.

"To you? From who?" she asked quickly.

_He chuckled at her. _

"Not exactly. Are you sure you want to know?" he confirmed.

_That question made her nervous, but she nodded anyways. She was more than curious now. _

"They're love letters; stolen love letters," he confessed as he removed himself from the bed.

_She looked at him confused. Why would he steal love letters? _

"Who's stolen love letters?" she asked as she sat up.

"They were written by women I slept with to the men they were in love with," he admitted.

_Her face dropped and she paused to consider what to say or ask him next. _

"What? Why?" she asked. "Jealousy?" she demanded, horrified by his revelation.

_She could tell that her judgmental tone had displeased him. _

_He laughed contemptuously. _

"No, no. I wasn't jealous. Those women meant nothing to me," he said coldly. "If I cared for them at all, then I wouldn't have killed them," he said bluntly.

_Goose bumps rose on her skin and she sat up immediately in response to his admission. _

"You killed them? Why would you do that?" she asked critically.

"They were nothing to me. I would seduce them. Take them home. Fuck them. Feed from them. Kill them, and then steal their most personal possession," he confessed.

_She noted the darkness in his eyes, and for once in a long time, she was genuinely frightened of him. _

"You wanted to know," he reminded her coldly, as if he was purposely trying to make her angry and push her away.

_It was working. _

_He was mad now. How could he not expect her to react this way? This was completely wrong. They were completely wrong. She was completely wrong. She had to leave. _

_His revelation had brought her back to reality; brought her conscience back. She had forgotten who he was, but the last few minutes had reminded her__._

"How could you just kill innocent women like that?" she accused, as she slipped on her clothes.

"Just like you killed that carnival attendant. Don't be so disapproving," he growled.

_How did he know about that? She wondered. _

"You knew who I was a half hour ago when you were fucking me so what's with the sour mood now, love?" he demanded.

"I guess was fooling myself," she barked, as she began to collect the rest of her things. "And don't even try to compare my lapse of judgement with your disgusting murder plots," she said angrily, pointing her finger at him.

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down," he said sternly, as he moved towards her.

_She backed up, suddenly afraid of him. _

"Don't call me that," she muttered under her breath. "I should go," she decided.

"You're trembling. You're scared of me now?" he observed.

"Of course I'm scared of you!" she yelled. "How do I know I'm not going to end up like those women?" she interrogated, picking up her purse.

"That phase of mine happened centuries ago. It means nothing now," he said defensively.

_She sneered at him. _

"Then why the hell do you keep those letters on your wall like some sick memento?" she hissed.

_This was the last straw with him. She had set him off. _

_He lunged towards her at vampire speed and slammed her into the bookshelf behind her, causing two of the shelves to break and piles of books to fall. _

_She screamed and was crying at the top of her lungs. This was it. She was going to die. He was going to kill her. She knew she should have followed her conscience. _

"We're monsters Caroline, it's what we do!" he spat at her.

_If she was going to die, if he was going to kill her tonight, she decided she wasn't going to back down without a fight. _

"Don't hide behind that excuse," she chastised him. "Don't lie to me," she demanded. "These weren't the random acts of a monster," she stated boldly. "You killed them and kept their letters for a reason!" she cried, unfazed by his frame towering over her as they stood in the debris of their physical confrontation.

_He shouted mindless nothingness, as he slammed his fist into the wall beside her. _

"I did it because I resented them! I wanted to feel anything! I wanted to remember!" he shouted, his voice nearly shaking the walls around them. "There! Are you happy now?" he exclaimed.

_She had never heard him yell that loudly before, and it almost put her into a state of shock. _

_As if he just realized what he had done and admitted to her, he let her go instantly and backed away. _

_She remained against the damaged bookcase. She was shaking violently and she could feel hot tears sliding off her cheeks and onto her neck. _

"I shouldn't have invited you here. This was a mistake. You need to leave," he said in a more controlled voice.

"Klaus..." she whispered.

"GO!" he shouted once more, before turning his back on her.

_Before he could finish the word, she grabbed her boots at vampire speed and was gone. Having quickly left the house, she took a moment to collect herself in the driveway. _

_As she calmed herself, she realized she had forgotten her coat inside. She also realized that she would have to head home by foot. There was no way she was going to demand that Klaus drive her home now. _

_Her phone sounded as she started down the drive. Taking it out, she read the received text message. _

"_I'm coming home tomorrow." It was from Tyler. _

_She tried to smile at the news, but right now it was impossible. _

_Noting a missed text message from Damon, she opened it. _

_"No sign of stake. Plan B tomorrow. Klaus hasn't killed any of us yet, where are u?"_

_She responded quickly, telling Damon she was on her way home, knowing that if Damon wasn't really worried about her, Elena probably was, and she knew he would pass the message onto her. _

_When she looked up, she saw a vehicle coming down the drive, and she grew anxious at the prospect of who it was. She could never be sure if she was running into a friend or a foe these days. _

_As the vehicle drew closer, its familiar loud noises signalled to her that it was Matt's truck. _

_Perhaps the whole gang panicked about her safety and decided to come save her, she thought. _

_She waited for it to pull up and stop. _

_Both Matt and Rebekah climbed out. _

"Care, what are you doing here? Are you okay?" Matt asked worriedly as he approached her.

_He had obviously noticed her red cheeks, dishevelled hair, and the makeup stained tear streaks under her eyes. _

_She heard Rebekah snort. _

"That's what spending a day with my brother does to women," she remarked unsympathetically.

_Caroline was ready to fall into Matt's arms, but in a quick twist, a force brushed past her and grabbed Matt instead. _

_It was Klaus. _

* * *

**A/N: So I have a bunch of random things I want to clear up:**

**I forgot to warn you all that in line with **_**Give Me Love**_** Mystic Falls still has a bit of snow lying around. My fic takes place sort of around Winter/Spring as of right now. I just find it odd that they live in Virginia and have never had snow in three seasons of the show. Whatever. **

**That specific lap dance video does not actually exist on YouTube, but there are lots of similar videos in case you are interested, lol. **

**Mr. Davies is a sort of ode to Matt Davis (hence the last name similarity). His death on TVD as Alaric saddens me :'( **

**In terms of incorporating those love letters Joseph Morgan has made mention of hanging above Klaus's bed, I hope I did them justice. I think they are significant to his character, so I wanted to use the idea. In terms of the French, I took Canadian French up to grade 12, but that felt like a million years ago, so I apologize to any French speakers if I completely obliterated your language. **

**Please do not expect another update so quickly. After this update, I have nothing new written. I have a busy week coming up, so I will not have much time to write. Please stay tuned for another update though! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I apologize for the delayed update. This has been an insanely busy week for me.**

I also apologize since this chapter isn't as exciting as the last. I divided this chapter into two since I get the impression that longer chapters tend to discourage readers. However, as a result, you'll be happy to know that the next update should follow shortly...as in Sunday or Monday.

I appreciate all the reviews and attention this fic has received. Please continue to read and review me with your comments, questions, and concerns, they are truly a great motivator!

As usual, please disregard any unintentional errors!

Thanks and enjoy! 

_Both she and Rebekah looked on to the original hybrid in horror. _

_He stood in the doorway of the house now holding Matt tightly and threateningly by the neck. Matt looked terrified but was trying desperately to maintain a brave face. _

_She felt a surge of guilt hit her when she considered what Matt had been through; what his family put him through; what his friends put him through; and specifically, what she had put him through. _

"Perfect timing sister," Klaus growled. "It seems like I'm going to get the opportunity to stay true to my word after all," he concluded, staring directly at her. "I can't have the lot of you thinking I'm all talk."

_Instantly she realized that he was referring to his earlier promise made at the Grill to kill one of them if he did not receive the stake by twelve thirty. _

_He was acting out now to compensate, and Matt was about to suffer the deadly consequences. _

_Why had he not come after her instead? She had already been here. _

_She could feel more tears building in her eyes as her mind hurriedly considered a way to free Matt. _

"Nik, you're overreacting. Give it another day; we'll find the stake," Rebekah reasoned calmly.

_Although Rebekah was equally skilled at hiding her emotions when it was called for, Caroline could sense her underlying panic. _

_Rebekah was concerned about Matt. _

"Sister, stay out of this," he commanded.

_Rebekah looked over at her, as if urging her to try her luck with the angered hybrid. _

_She didn't know quite what to say to get him to stop. Clearly she wasn't any good at making him agreeable. Her words had caused him to slam both her and his fist into a bookcase tonight. _

"Klaus..." she said, doing her best to hold back the urge to cry.

_He turned almost mechanistically towards her, Matt still under his grip. _

"Klaus, please. Please let him go," she begged. "I'll do anything. Kill me instead!" she pleaded.

_He glared at her in disbelief. _

"You would offer your life for this worthless human?" he spat, looking between her and Matt.

_She nodded as she tried to focus on him; her eyes going blurry from the tears that were eager to fall. _

"He's my friend," she noted.

_He scoffed. _

"Your offer is tempting, however, I believe this is the lad who killed my poor brother Finn; am I right?" he asked, looking Matt directly in the eye.

_Rebekah's facial expression dropped. _

"Am I right?" he asked again, squeezing Matt's neck a little harder.

_Matt nodded, and Rebekah winced. _

"Well sister, there you have it; you're little high school crush here is responsible for Finn's death," Klaus declared, purposely aiming to agitate Rebekah and destroy the chances Caroline had that Rebekah would help her.

_At this point, Rebekah seemed ready to kill Matt herself, but she could tell that there was still some hesitation and confliction lingering within the original hybrid's sister. _

_She recalled earlier when she had discussed Finn with Klaus. _

"You said that we did you a favour by killing your brother; that he deserved to die," she tried to reason with him. "Why do you want to kill Matt for revenge now?" she wondered.

_He looked away, purposely trying to ignore her remarks. _

"I want that stake, and I'm not going to stop until I get it!" he bellowed, as both of his hands wrapped around Matt's neck.

_Just as it appeared he was about to snap Matt's neck, she and Rebekah reacted, dashing towards Klaus at top speed. _

_Klaus threw Matt at forcefully towards the drive. _

_Rebekah got to Klaus first, knocking him back onto the floor inside the house. _

"Caroline, take Matt home, now!" Rebekah shouted at her, as she pinned Klaus to the floor. "I can't hold him down much longer!" she warned.

_With that, Caroline rushed to Matt and helped him back into his truck on the passenger side. She climbed into the driver's side, and quickly gave herself a two second lesson on how to operate his truck. _

_She sped down the drive and did not look back. _

_As they pulled onto the main road she began to relax and took this time to examine Matt beside her. _

_His Letterman jacket was ripped on the forearm, and she could smell the blood from a wound that was hidden underneath. That arm had likely broken his fall. She also noted the rips at the knees of his jeans and could see hints of red beginning to stain the blue fabric. _

"Matt, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

_He nodded. _

"Care, I'm fine. Just a little banged up," he assured her.

_She clenched the steering wheel in an effort to subdue her anxiety. _

"Are you sure? We can stop at the hospital...or I could give you my blood," she offered.

_He shook his head and laughed for no particular reason. _

"I'm fine," he said looking at her. "Just drive to your place, and I can drive myself home from there," he told her.

"Okay."

"Thanks," he said.

_She looked at him in confusion. _

"Thanks for what?" she asked. "All I did was throw you into your truck. As much as I hate to say this, if you should be thanking anyone its Rebekah," she corrected.

_He seemed uncomfortable by her mention of Klaus's sister and turned away to stare out the passenger window. _

"I don't know why I trusted her. It's pretty obvious brought me there for the twelve-thirty sacrifice Klaus promised," Matt clarified. "I guess she changed her mind when you reminded Klaus what he said about their brother," he concluded.

_She shook her head. _

"No, I don't think she brought you there so Klaus could kill you. She looked just as surprised as I did when Klaus grabbed you," she explained.

_He considered her words, and she noted his efforts to hold back a small grin. _

"Klaus is right about one thing; I think Rebekah has a crush on you," she smiled, relieved that she had something to take her mind off of everything with.

"No she doesn't," Matt protested as he wiped the lingering sweat off of his forehead.

"She saved you tonight, Matt. Plus, Klaus has like five million cars that Rebekah could drive, yet she gets rides from you," she pointed out.

_Matt laughed. _

"She says she's afraid of modern cars and driving," he mused.

_Turning her attention away from the road for a split second, she arched an eyebrow at a gullible Matt. _

"Seriously?" she giggled.

_It felt good to laugh. _

"Okay, maybe she likes me," he relented; his cheeks going flush with the realization.

_She huffed in victory and returned all her focus to driving. _

"Why were you even with Rebekah tonight anyways? I thought you were with Bonnie?" she asked confused.

"I was, but Rebekah showed up at the school, so I ended up having to play Rebekah-bait," he informed her. "You know how it is," he smirked.

_She nodded, knowing he meant her faux relationship with Klaus. _

"Maybe she was looking for you because she likes you," she joked again to take their minds off of what just happened.

"Well if anyone likes anyone, I think tonight reiterated the fact that Klaus likes you," Matt said, turning the tables on her.

_His observation made her sick to her stomach with mixed emotion. _

"What do you mean?" she asked, playing stupid.

_She knew exactly what he was referring to. _

"You were with him the entire time today. If he wanted to kill any of us, why didn't he just go ahead and kill you?" Matt wondered. "I'm not saying he should have done it...I just mean, from Klaus's perspective, you would have been an easy target," he explained.

"That doesn't mean he likes me," she argued. "But if he does, isn't that supposed to be my objective? To get him to like me enough so he'll confide in me?" she pointed out.

_Matt nodded. _

"You don't have to get defensive about it, Care. I was just stating the obvious," he replied.

_She exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself through controlled breathing. There was no need for her to get defensive. She didn't want to blow her cover and reveal her true feelings. Matt wasn't accusing her of anything. _

"I guess what I really want to know is if there's a part of you who likes him?" Matt wondered curiously.

_Okay, maybe he was accusing her of something after all. _

_She literally stopped breathing for a few seconds, but was able to maintain her relaxed expression as she concentrated on driving. _

"Why would you ask me that? Of course I don't like him," she said, trying her best to act surprised.

_Matt shrugged and let out a slight chuckle, as if – despite his question – he found the possibility that she could have feelings for the original hybrid completely senseless. _

"I don't know," he paused. "Just the way you were with him at the Grill last week. You seemed really happy," he told her, "like you wanted to be there with him."

_Fuck, she thought to herself. She hoped that he didn't know more than he was letting on as a means to test her honesty. Her nerves were fried for the day, but she knew she had to keep up her front. As much as she wanted to tell Matt everything, she couldn't. He wouldn't understand. Her relationship with Matt had been tarnished by lies...and here she was, making it worse. _

"I was drinking Matt, you know how I get when I'm drunk," she laughed.

_His apparent amusement with her explanation seemed to put his mind at ease. _

"I had to act like I was having a good time. I couldn't sit there miserable the entire night. He would have known something was up," she added.

"Yeah, I probably just misread what I saw, but I wanted to make sure," he told her.

_The gloomy look on his face hinted at the displeasure he felt at the thought of her genuinely enjoying Klaus's company. _

"It's gotta be a good sign you misread things. If I had you second-guessing, then that probably means Klaus bought the act," she said with a fake smile.

"True," Matt agreed.

_She needed to get off the subject of Klaus ASAP, she thought. Talking about him made her nervous; made her upset. She decided to throw Matt's question back at him. _

"So what about Rebekah? Do you like her?" she asked.

_Matt looked caught off guard, but she noticed a small smile tugging at his lips. _

"She's a vampire, Care," he said, speaking honestly before realizing who he was talking to.

"So?" she retorted.

_He began to stutter. _"Sorry, I didn't mea..." -

- "I know. I asked you if you liked her or not," she interrupted. "I'm pretty sure the smile on your face says that you do."

_He considered her question for a few seconds, likely trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't displease or offend her. _

"I'll admit that it's nice having a girl's undivided attention..."

_She frowned, knowing he was referring to her and Elena. _

"...but even aside from the fact that she's a vampire, she has a lot of baggage. Her brother and his ridiculous hybrid obsession have caused so much trouble for all of us. If I pursued Rebekah, it would be like I condoned it all," he confessed.

_His honesty had moved her. Not because she was stunned that he liked Rebekah even a little bit (that much was obvious), but because he summed up her own internal conflict with regards to Klaus, minus the issue of Tyler of course. _

"Sometimes you can't help who you like," she said thoughtfully for the both of them.

_He nodded. _

"I guess Elena is a prime example of that," he pointed out.

"People can change...become good," she added, referring to Stefan and Damon.

"Sure, on her own Rebekah might be capable of changing, but she's too loyal to Klaus. And if there's one person incapable of change or good, it's him," Matt said with certainty.

_She winced at his conclusion. Why did it hit her so hard? Was it because she knew he was right and was disappointed? Did she disagree? She couldn't be sure. _

_Their drive fell silent as they entered Mystic Falls proper and she turned onto a backstreet to her house._

"So what happened tonight with Klaus? You looked pretty upset when Rebekah and I got there," Matt spoke up.

_She waited until they were in front of her house before she answered him. _

_Turning the ignition, the truck fell quiet and she looked pensively at Matt. _

"Things went fine at first. I kept him occupied like we decided I would, mostly with small talk...and then I confronted him about things; Alaric's stake, Elena, Tyler..." she sighed, "and he freaked out."

_She was lying to him again. Sure, she had discussed the stake, Elena, and Tyler, but that's not what had provoked him to erupt with rage. What had caused him to erupt was something she couldn't discuss with Matt; it would lead him to ask too many questions. Lying was her only option; she had to give him something to explain her tears and terrified expression earlier in the Mikaelson driveway. _

_Just thinking about the earlier events made her feel dejected. The threat of tears loomed once more. _

"Did he hurt you?" Matt inquired.

_She shook her head. _

"Maybe emotionally, but that's it," she told him. "His bookcase wasn't as lucky," she mused as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"What did he say?" he asked hesitantly, knowing that her news would not be good.

_Chewing her lip, she turned to look out the driver's side window at the front of her house. _

_Instantly, thoughts of her night with Klaus after the Grill flashed in front of her. She recalled how she had drunkenly skipped and stumbled up the walkway in her favourite heels towards her front door and how the heat of his body followed closely behind; how he kissed her neck and teased her body with his hands as she struggled to unlock the front door. _

_Tears began to pool under her eyes before sliding over the round of her cheeks. _

_She blinked twice to erase the memories and blurry eyes before turning back to Matt. _

"He said once he gets the stake he's going to take Elena," she revealed, thankful for an acceptable reason to cry. "...and if Tyler doesn't break the sire bond, Klaus will probably take him too," she added. 

_Matt gazed impassively through the windshield as she began to cry softly. _

_Guilt hit her quickly. She wasn't only crying for Elena and Tyler, but she was crying for Klaus and her feelings for him. _

_She leaned against the steering wheel, covering her head with her arms. _

_Matt's hand touched her back soothingly, trying to comfort her. She didn't deserve to be comforted. _

"Caroline, it's okay. It's going to be okay. We're gonna find a way to stop Klaus, alright?" Matt offered.

_Sitting back up, she tried to regain her composure. She looked at Matt who looked as serious as ever, but she could tell he was worried too. _

"Look, it's been a long day for the both of us. You should go and get some sleep," he instructed.

_She sniffed loudly through her nose, and rubbed her eyes; she could care less about her eye makeup at this point. _

"I am tired," she confessed.

_Matt nodded in agreement as he climbed out of the truck to meet her on the driver's side. _

"So, I'll see you tomorrow morning?" he asked once she was out of the truck.

"Tomorrow morning?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, we start setting up for the decade dance tomorrow," he reminded her.

"Shit. I completely forgot. Tyler texted me and told me he was coming home tomorrow. I was gonna spend the day with him," she revealed.

_He seemed surprised and thrilled with her news, but a little annoyed by her probable absence tomorrow morning. _

"You could use a break from all this. Go spend the day with Tyler tomorrow," he offered graciously.

_She gave Matt an unsure smile. _

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll have lots of volunteers tomorrow anyways," he assured her.

_His mention of volunteers suddenly brought an obstacle up that she had not considered. _

"I have to be there tomorrow. Rebekah will be there. If I don't show, she'll wonder why. She can't know that Tyler is back in town," she panicked.

_Matt thought for a moment before shrugging. _

"I'll text you tomorrow morning. We'll figure out a way to keep Rebekah from suspecting something," he told her.

"Thanks, Matt," she said genuinely, hugging him as they stood on the sidewalk. "Are you sure you don't want to clean up here?" she asked again, worried about the damage Klaus had done to him from a simple throw.

_He shook his head. _

"Trust me. I'm fine, Caroline," he laughed. "Goodnight."

"Night," she answered as he got back in his truck.

_She turned on her heels and started for the front door. Once inside, she shut the door quietly behind her, knowing her mother was asleep. _

_Purposely suppressing the numerous conflicting thoughts demanding her attention, she hurriedly rushed into her room for her pyjamas and then to the bathroom to clean herself up. _

_A part of her desperately wanted a shower to wash any evidence of him off of her, another yearned to inhale the scent of him still attached to her skin. The latter would be satisfied for tonight, as the noise from the shower would surely wake her mother in the next room. _

_Back in her bedroom, she collapsed on her bed and sighed loudly. _

_Now that she was completely alone, as she expected, the tears came quickly. _

_She couldn't explain why she was so emotional. _

_Was it from the shock of almost witnessing her friend and ex-boyfriend be killed? Perhaps it was Klaus's intentions with Elena? When she was left only partially satisfied with those explanations, she knew that most of what she was feeling led back to her "relationship" with Klaus. _

_Sure, she felt badly for Matt and Elena, but her real hurt feelings came from the fact that she wanted to see Klaus differently; not as the murderous sociopath everybody had made him out to be._

_Indeed, she had seen him differently at times. He indulged her in some of his hobbies. He shared with her delicate information about his past. She saw him smile. She saw him upset about something besides his mission to create hybrids. She heard him laugh, and she had heard his most intimate expressions while in the throes of passion with her. _

_She sighed at the thought. _

_But then he contradicted all of this with the outbursts of anger, and the threats to both Elena and Matt. How could she have any positive regard for someone who treated her friends as pawns in a game? Was she merely a pawn in his game too? She wondered. _

_Any rational person would have nothing to do with someone like this. And yet, despite her best effort to reason with herself, she could not deny the intense feelings he had stirred within her. _

_He had awakened her sexually, but more than that, he had awakened her curiosity about life and the world; and even her curiosity about him. _

_In hindsight, following only her handful of experiences with Klaus, she realized neither Matt or Tyler had done this for her. _

_But why did it have to be Klaus? It complicated everything. Her friends and Tyler would never understand. She barely understood it. _

_Despite the bitter protests of her heart, she knew the easiest thing to do would be to leave things between Klaus and her as they had ended tonight and never look back. She had to forget about him and move on. _

_That was easier said than done. _

_She cringed at the guilt she felt. Not only did she feel guilty over how she was treating her friends and Tyler, but she felt guilty over her treatment of Klaus, even despite his most recent actions. _

_How could she hold Klaus's angry reaction towards her in his bedroom against him? _

_When she had asked him about the letters, she wanted to know the answer. He warned her, and she urged him on. When the gory details were revealed, she had judged him before he had a chance to explain, expecting the worst from him just as her friends had. He had opened up to her ever so slightly, and she turned him away instantly with her scornful reaction. _

_Had those letters belonged to one of her vampire friends, they would have received a pass under some informal vampire sympathy clause. Stefan had kept a list of every one of his kills during his ripper days, yet nobody turned their back on him and judged him for it. _

_In this way, she felt she had no right to judge Klaus, despite having done so. Just because he seemed to be the most recent villain of the town, did not mean he was not entitled to grieve and make mistakes while in the process. _

_He had shared something very personal with her. _

_During their previous conversations he had vehemently denied love, but it now it seemed as though that's what he had been searching for all along. _

_His many years as a vampire buried his humanity, and thus, buried his remembrance of love; buried his capability to love and be loved; hence, the murders, the stolen love letters, and his hybrid quest. _

_She felt sorry for him. She felt sorry for denying his feelings and criticizing his pain. _

_He had lashed out with Matt, and although it wasn't right, she could understand it. _

_She wiped her cheeks and yawned. _

_As she stretched her arms across the bed, her thoughts drifted back to her night with Klaus in her room. _

_Sitting up, she reached into her nightstand drawer for the first picture he drew of her with the horse. He really was talented. _

_The corner of her eye noted her cell phone beside her alarm clock. _

_Tyler and his earlier text message came to mind. _

_Guilt and remorse prompted her to discard the drawing on the nightstand. _

_Tyler, her sort-of boyfriend was coming home tomorrow, and for much of his absence she had been betraying him with the very person he despised; the person he was trying to overcome for her. _

_She was a terrible person. _

_Thinking about Tyler rejuvenated her conscience, and she swayed back to her immediate decision to forget about the original hybrid. _

_As much as she wanted to think there was something there, it just couldn't happen right now even if there was. There were too many obstacles standing in their way. She needed to finish one thing before she started another. It wasn't fair to Tyler. _

_Realizing that she had not responded to Tyler's text, she typed him a quick message about seeing him tomorrow and hit the send button. _

_Before she could set her phone back down on the nightstand it began vibrating in her hand. _

_The caller I.D. said it was Rebekah calling. _


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow, I know writers on here say this all the time, but seriously, you readers and reviewers are amazing. I want to give a shout out to the repeat reviewers in particular because not only do I like knowing that I'm attracting new readers with each chapter, but I like to know that many of the first readers/reviewers are still around supporting this fic! I enjoy hearing from all of you though *wink wink nudge nudge* **

**There will be another author's note to follow at the end. **

**Please read, enjoy, and review :D**

* * *

"Get off of me!" he demanded, as he tossed his younger sister across the room, much as he had just done with Matt.

_He rushed to the front entrance, but it was too late, he could see the tail lights of Matt's terrible excuse for a vehicle disappearing down the drive. Matt had escaped with the help of Caroline. _

_He stood there frozen for a few moments with his lips tightened in a straight expression and his eyes locked in a cold stare. _

_As he swallowed hard, everything that had just taken place began to sink in. _

_Not only had he frightened her off with his horrific tale about the letters, he had nearly killed her dear friend and ex-boyfriend Matt; the perfect cherry on top. _

_He scoffed and smirked at his actions. That's always how it was with him. If he was going to go out, it would be with a bang, he thought. _

_She was gone for good. _

_It was best this way. She was beginning to get the better of him. She was slowly undermining him. He could feel it, and he didn't like it. _

_If only Rebekah hadn't intervened, he could have put the final nail in that coffin, so to speak. _

_He could hear Rebekah grumbling to herself as she recovered from his throw. _

"What the hell did you do that for!" he shouted, as he slammed the door behind him.

_Rebekah chuckled at him, as she fixed her hair. _

"That was for you pretending to care about Finn enough to avenge his death, and Matt's my date to the decade dance Nik, I can't have a dead date!" she hissed.

"Considering he helped kill Finn, I'm surprised you even care to have him as a date. Besides, you could have just compelled yourself another," he mused. "If the Salvatores find out we're divided, they'll exploit that weakness Rebekah. You cannot undercut my authority like that," he said sternly as he approached her.

_She rolled her eyes at him. _

"Your authority? Nik, get over yourself. The world does not revolve around you!" she informed him bitterly. "I don't want another date to the dance, Nik. I want Matt to take me, and you almost ruined that for me!" she lamented.

"Who's to say that I still haven't?" he snarled with a mean grin.

_She slapped him hard. He was expecting it. He wanted her to hit him. _

"Matt may have killed Finn, but at least he was looking out for someone other than himself. That's a lot more than you can say," she spat.

_He didn't retaliate; he simply turned away from her and trudged angrily up the stairs. He no longer had the desire to bicker with her. He wanted to be alone. _

_Once in his room, he shut his bedroom doors with such force that the hinges protested violently, nearly tearing away from the door frame. _

_He surveyed the damage already done. _

_The bookcase he just finished would need to be completely rebuilt. _

_There were books scattered all over the floor; the spines landing every which way and pages bent and creased on the insides. He could only hope that none of the damaged ones were his rare favourites, but at this point, he didn't care. _

_He gazed over towards his unkempt bed and cringed. _

_There was an indent in the blankets and pillow where she had laid only a short time ago. _

_His jaw clenched as memories of the evening were quickly recalled. _

_He could almost feel the soft skin of her thighs under his fingertips, hear her moans of delight, and see her body writhe from her climaxes. _

_Turning back towards the bookcase, the darker moments of the night came to mind. She had asked him an innocent question about the letters, and he answered her honestly. In part, he had done this on purpose. He anticipated her negative reaction. He wanted it to happen; he wanted to push her away. Unfortunately it backfired on him as he gave away more information than he had expected. He hadn't intended to give her the reason behind those letters, and as a result, he exploded at her and then Matt. _

_The anger and disappointment on her face outside earlier was palpable. _

_Yes, she was gone for good. _

_In a way, he was comforted by that fact. _

_He had been dancing along a thin line with her. She was dangerous; she was becoming a weakness. _

_But the part of him that was comforted did not compare to the part of him that was enraged. _

_He shouted a few expletives at no one in particular as he kicked his feet at the debris on the floor. _

_Feeling only more frustrated, he grabbed at the remaining shelves of the bookcase and ripped them away from the frame, allowing the rest of the books to fall. _

_He could care less about the damage; he would need to rebuild the shelf anyways. _

_At this point his breathing was out of control. _

_Noticing the remaining blood in the decanter from earlier, he eagerly swallowed down what was left. _

_His nerves quickly calmed as the blood pushed through his dead veins. _

_He needed his mind taken off of things; he needed an outlet; he needed to paint. _

_Before he could paint he prepped his record player. The music would help drown out his thoughts. He was in a jazz and swing mood. He selected records by some of his favourites; Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and Ben Goodman. _

_He hadn't even touched the paints or the canvas and he already envisioned what he would create; a dark abstract. _

_There were barely a handful of brush strokes to the easel before he heard his bedroom doors creak open. He knew it was Rebekah without even turning around. _

"What are you doing in here?" he asked flatly, without turning to face her.

_He heard her step inside. _

"It's not like you to shy away from a confrontation, Nik. You disappeared upstairs without as much as a word..."

"I don't need your false concern right now Rebekah. I'm tired," he complained as he continued to paint.

"I'm sure you are," she said sarcastically. "It smells like sex and rage in here," she noted.

_He listened as she stepped over the piles of books and pieces of shelving. _

"Watch the books," he warned, finally turning to glare at her.

_She held up her hands to convey her compliance and innocence as she entered the sitting room. _

"So you slept with Caroline...Caroline slept with you. That's why she was here..." she said confused, putting the pieces together. "Isn't she with your sire boy?"

- "was," he interrupted.

"She's with you now?"

"No," he denied flatly.

"Would you just tell me what the hell is going on Nik?" she demanded, clearly annoyed with his cryptic answers.

"I don't think I need to describe to you how sex works," he snickered.

_She scoffed and her hands went to her hips. _

"You know exactly what I mean. Judging by the foul look on Caroline's face earlier, and your mood, something else clearly happened tonight," she said, extending her other hand to point at the evidence lying all over the floor.

_He shrugged. _

"Lover's quarrel?" he suggested.

_Her eyes widened at him in frustration. _

"Look sister, Caroline and I had a little spat, that's all. It's really none of your business," he said nonchalantly, as he changed records on the record player.

_She folded her arms under her chest. _

"Something obviously happened between you two to make you go off like this. Your attitude can't just be about the stake," she decided. "Don't play games with me, Nik. I know that you fancy her."

"Oh, do you now?" he retorted as he paced back to the easel.

_She nodded self-assuredly. _

"If she didn't mean anything to you, you would have killed her instead of Matt as part of your threat to get Alaric's stake. You didn't even know Matt would be driving me home. Not to mention the countless drawings you did of her," she pointed out.

_He knew she had caught him. Why else would he have spared Caroline or sketched numerous drawings of her?_

"You don't know what you're talking about," he responded.

"Then explain to me why you need Caroline alive," she countered.

"Rest assured, Rebekah. I keep no one alive who doesn't serve a greater purpose for my plans," he spoke cryptically once more, hoping to throw her off and satisfy her curiosity.

_He knew her better than that though. She wouldn't be satisfied. She knew something was amiss. _

"You know it's a bit hypocritical of you brother...to lambast Finn over his weakness for Sage; to have lambasted Elijah for his feelings for Katherine; to now lambast me for my feelings for Matt...when you have evidently developed feelings of your own for vampire slut Caroline," Rebekah pointed out.

_Dropping his paints, he spun around, diving towards her. _

_Grabbing her by the neck, he pushed her up against the wall. _

"Mind your tongue, Rebekah," he said through gritted teeth.

_When she began to choke, he dropped her to the ground. _

_She laughed at him. _

"Thanks, Nik."

_He arched an eyebrow at her questioningly. _

"For what?" he asked.

"For proving your feelings for Caroline by leaping to defend her honour," she smirked, speeding to the other side of the room before he had a chance to take his anger out on her once more.

"Bitch," he growled.

_She seemed to take his comment as a compliment. _

"So before you go on chastising your siblings for how weak we make this family, perhaps you should try taking a look in the mirror," she recommended, as she headed towards the sitting room entrance.

_Ignoring her, he retrieved his paint brush from the floor. _

_He fully expected her to leave, but he could hear her still lingering in the room. _

"You know brother...as long as you're on your little hybrid mission with Elena, Caroline will never ever give you her heart," she told him.

"I never said I wanted it," he remarked angrily, turning his face to the side so he could see her in the doorway.

"You didn't have to," she retorted.

_Things fell silent between them as he tried to find an appropriate response to her invasive comments and assumptions._

"It wouldn't be the end of the world if you gave up your hybrid obsession, Nik," Rebekah suggested.

_He tensed. _

"I've spent hundreds of years trying to break the curse, and now that I have, I'm not giving up now," he answered flatly. "I need those hybrids."

_She groaned. _

"Yes, yes, I know; because you don't want to be alone. Well I hate to break it to you, but you're not alone. You have me, you have Elijah, you have Kol...and as much as she annoys me, you could have Caroline if you tried. Why is that not enough for you?" she berated him.

_He clenched his fists together and fought the urge to explode once more. _

"This conversation is finished," he decided, becoming more agitated by the second. "Leave, now."

_She sneered at him. _

"I've never seen anyone waste an eternity quite as perfectly as you, Nik," she admitted. "Perhaps you'll eventually come to your senses before it's too late," she hoped.

_He turned as he heard her set something down on the table in the sitting room. It was her cell phone. _

"_Her_ number is in there," she informed him, disappearing from his bedroom before he had a chance to protest.

* * *

_Her forehead clenched in confusion as she quickly tried to figure out why Rebekah would be calling her at this hour. _

_Maybe she was trying to get through to Matt...or maybe something had happened to Klaus? Or she had decided to be a hard ass about setting up for tomorrow's dance since she had pretty much taken over from Caroline. _

_She quickly answered. "Hello?" _

_"Caroline..." _

_The voice that spoke to her was far from the feminine accented voice she had expected. Instead, she was met with the deep accented voice she had become so familiar with. _

_"Klaus..." she whispered. _

_In an instant, all the conflicting emotions she had been battling with returned with a vengeance. She knew she could not relent to him so easily. She had to stick to her decision. She needed to keep distant from him for the sake of her sanity and for the sake of Tyler and her friends. _

_"I...I need to speak with you," he said, almost anxiously. _

_She huffed into the phone and tried with determination to focus on all the terrible things Klaus had done and said. It was the only way she'd be able to follow through with her intent. _

_"As you said, tonight was a mistake. __**This **__is a mistake. It shouldn't have happened, and because it did, Matt almost died. I have nothing more to say to you," she winced, before abruptly ending their call. _

_If she had given him the time to respond, she would have given herself time to reconsider. _

_Exhaling loudly, she fell back against her bed and rested her phone face down on her stomach. She bit her lip hard trying to fight the urge to cry again. What she just did had to be done. _

_When her phone sounded again, she flinched and instantly grew nervous and annoyed. She cursed Klaus for making this even harder on her. _

_She decided to answer. _

_"Klaus, I told you, I have nothing more to say to you. Please don't call me again," she urged him, becoming emotional once more. She hoped he would take her advice. _

_Before she could end the call, another new, but familiar voice responded. _

"Caroline, it's Elena..." her friend spoke.

"Elena..." she said surprised."Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she apologized, her face red with embarrassment.

_She covered her eyes in disbelief. She should have checked her caller I.D. she thought, scolding herself. _

"Judging by how you answered the phone, I assume today didn't go well?" Elena probed.

_She sighed and shook her head, even though Elena couldn't see her. _

"Well, we all survived another day, so I suppose it was a success?" she suggested.

_Elena laughed hesitantly. _"I guess so. What happened today?" she asked.

_Caroline scolded herself for not asking Elena about her day first so she wouldn't have to answer her persistent questions. _

"It was fine for the first part; I kept him occupied like we planned," she informed her friend, still proud, despite what happened, that she was able to help in a significant way.

"What did you do?" Elena asked curiously.

_She hesitated as she considered an answer. She decided that being partially honest was the best route to go. _

"We had lunch...he took me horseback riding...we had dinner...watched a movie," _had unforgettable sex, she added to herself. _

_Elena gasped on the other end of the phone. _

"What?" she asked. "He took you horseback riding? You had dinner together, and watched a movie?" Elena repeated in disbelief. "We are talking about Klaus, right?"

_Caroline laughed at how truly ridiculous it sounded. _

"Yeah...oh my god Elena, can you believe his favourite movie is _Night of the Living Dead_? How ironic is that?" she blabbed, quickly realizing that her enthusiasm was too much...almost suspicious.

_Elena scoffed. _

"I can believe that. What I can't believe is your day with him. Who would have thought that in addition to being a heartless monster, he's also a hopeless romantic?" Elena chuckled sarcastically. "Geez Caroline, your day was like the ultimate dream date...aside from Klaus being there."

_She found herself frowning at Elena's comments, but forced a laugh nonetheless. _

"I know right? He's a creep," she commented, trying to cement her loyalty to her best friend.

"He has to be up to something," Elena suggested.

_Caroline rolled her eyes and suddenly felt defensive. _

"Thanks, Elena. A guy can't just like me, he has to be up to something..." she responded in a way that disguised her bruised ego.

_Elena laughed hesitantly. _"Caroline, you know that's not what I meant. I just meant that it's Klaus, and he always has ulterior motives. We just need to keep our guard up," her friend clarified.

"I know what you meant, I was just joking," she lied.

"Unless you actually want Klaus to actually like you?" Elena asked in such a judgemental way that let Caroline know there was only one answer to her question.

"Of course not," she answered speedily. "Tyler's coming home tomorrow," she added.

_She felt the mood between her and her friend relax instantly with mention of Tyler. _

"Oh really? I guess that means he broke the sire bond," she concluded.

"Let's hope so," she responded to Elena.

"You never told me about the second part," Elena reminded her.

"Second part of what?" she asked, playing dumb.

"You're date with Klaus; what happened?" Elena pushed.

"It wasn't a date," Caroline denied.

_Elena laughed. _"I'm just bugging you. But seriously, what went wrong tonight?"

_She wasn't sure she felt like retelling the fake story again, but she knew her friend would not give up until she had some answers. _

"Things went wrong the second I tried to ask him about more serious things..." she trailed off.

"Like?" Elena wondered.

"Like what his plans are once he gets the stake. What his plans are with you and Tyler," she confessed.

_She heard Elena's breathing quicken on the other end of the phone. _

"What are his plans? What did he say about me?" Elena questioned.

_She hesitated, knowing her news would frighten and worry Elena. _

"Once he gets the stake he wants to leave town...with you," she revealed.

_Elena fell completely silent. _

"Elena?" she asked, hoping her friend was still there.

"I'm here," Elena answered.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm okay Caroline. We'll all be okay. We'll figure a way out of this," Elena said reassuringly.

_Despite all she had been through in the past year, Elena never seemed to lose her optimism. _

"So why was Klaus calling you now?" her friend changed the subject.

"I'm not sure. I didn't give him a chance to explain. Damage control maybe..." she suspected.

"Damage control?" Elena asked, clearly wondering what she meant.

_She stuttered a bit as she tried to finish describing the last part of her night. Telling Elena about Klaus's latest actions would only make Elena hate him more; would only push him further from redemption in her eyes. She felt pathetic and guilty for wanting to protect him. _

"After our little confrontation about everything I stormed out. Matt just happened to be driving Rebekah home at the time. Klaus grabbed Matt and nearly killed him," she said quickly, wanting to get it out as quickly as possible. "He was gonna kill Matt to make good on his threat, but..."

- "But what?" Elena interrupted.

"Rebekah intervened thankfully, and I got Matt out of there," she finished.

"Oh my god Caroline..." Elena said before breathing a sigh of relief. "So I guess it looks like Rebekah has a crush on Matt, and Klaus has a crush on you," she noted. "He could have killed you and he didn't," she added, concluding the same thing Matt had earlier.

_Caroline said nothing in response, preferring instead to let silence kill their current topic of conversation. _"So Damon texted me. What's plan B?" she asked, hesitantly curious.

_Now it was Elena's turn to hesitate. _

"We're gonna take some drastic measures with Alaric. Stefan's gonna keep him at the boarding house to try and get evil Alaric to make an appearance for some info," Elena informed her. "Damon and I are gonna go to Denver to check in on Jeremy..."

- "You and Damon?" Caroline interrupted. "What does Stefan think about that?"

"Stefan suggested it. He wants me to sort out my feelings and figure out what I want," Elena told her.

_If she was in a similar position as Stefan, there would be no way she would ever suggest something like that. She gave Stefan credit. _

"Oh..." she replied, unsure of what advice to give to her friend.

_Elena knew how she felt about her relationship troubles; Caroline was firmly in Stefan's corner. _

"We're also gonna see if Jeremy can communicate with Rose to find out which original's bloodline she came from..." Elena added, as if to give her trip more purpose than exploring her romantic feelings for the elder Salvatore.

_However, judging by Elena's pause, Elena knew that providing this information would lead to instant tension between them. _

"So you can find out if you can kill Klaus, and by extension Tyler," she said, finishing Elena's sentence in a way she hoped conveyed her frustration.

_Elena's news frightened her. If Jeremy was able to find out who Rose descended from...and that descendant wasn't Klaus then Klaus and Tyler were both dead and she would be devastated. _

"Caroline...Tyler isn't going to die," Elena reassured her. "We just want to have the information."

_She snorted sarcastically into the phone in response. _

"Elena, you may not want Tyler dead, but if Damon finds out that Rose descended from someone other than Klaus, you know that he'll stop at nothing to kill Klaus," she reminded her sometimes naive friend as she began to grow emotional.

"I promise you that I'm not going to let Tyler die. I'd rather just give up my blood to Klaus like he wants than to see any of my friends die," Elena revealed. "Okay, Caroline?" she asked, needing reassurance that Caroline believed her.

_Elena would never willingly allow one of her friends to be hurt in the effort to protect her. She trusted Elena's word, but Damon made her nervous. _

"Okay, Elena," she replied reluctantly.

"So I was thinking you could 'fake' forgive Klaus and keep him busy tomorrow?" Elena proposed. "But, I completely understand if you're uncomfortable with the idea considering what happened tonight."

_She heard Elena inhale as she waited for her answer. _

"I would, but since Tyler's coming home tomorrow, I was gonna spend the day with him," she informed Elena.

"Of course. I wasn't even thinking," Elena apologized before giggling_. _"You can't keep Klaus busy tomorrow because you'll be getting busy with Tyler..."

_Caroline rolled her eyes. _

"Shut up Elena."

"You know I'm only joking," her friend told her.

"Listen; make sure you keep Tyler's homecoming to yourself. Klaus can't know he's back yet."

"Of course," Elena promised.

_First she yawned and then Elena followed close behind. They both laughed when they finished. _

"I should go to bed," Elena decided.

"Me too," she agreed.

"Don't have too much fun tomorrow with Tyler," Elena warned her humorously.

_Caroline laughed, despite feeling a deep tension and dread growing in her stomach at the prospect of tomorrow. _

"Don't have too much fun tomorrow with Damon," she retorted.

_They both said goodnight to one another and suddenly she found herself alone in her bedroom with all of her thoughts. _

_She peeled back her blankets and climbed into her welcoming bed. Her cell phone was still in her hand and she glanced at the screen. She noted the call from 'Rebekah.' _

_Resisting the urge to call him back or send him a text, she tossed her phone on her nightstand and turned off the lamp. _

_At this point she found herself wide awake. All she wanted was to be able to close her eyes and forget about the day, but she couldn't ignore what happened; the good and the bad. _

_Rolling onto her side, she let out a loud sigh as she closed her eyes and tried for sleep. _

_She knew she had no choice in the matter; she had to forget. Tyler would be home tomorrow. _

* * *

**A/N: I hoped you enjoyed the chapter despite the lack of "Klaroline" moments. These chapters have to happen. I also hope Klaus's perspective at the beginning was satisfactory and realistic. I would like to do another chapter in the near future that is entirely from his perspective like in "Give Me Love." I like writing him better than Caroline, but I think it's important to get her point of view across. **

**Fun fact: the painting Klaus started in this chapter is meant to be the same one shown in 3x20. **

**Please also note that I'm trying my best to interweave my fic into the events that have already taken place in season 3, but some things will be altered for the sake of the story. Please understand. I hope this does not diminish the integrity or believability of my fic.**

**With that, you can expect that the next chapter will be a little repetitive in that it will contain some of the interaction between Tyler and Caroline from 3x19 but with some new twists and insights. Don't worry though, I plan to have more Klaus/Caroline interaction sooner than you might expect! **

**Also, I noticed that some of my reviewers have mentioned fics on this site with sexual content being removed. First of all, I think that's ridiculous. Second, I'll keep an eye on my stories. I have "Give Me Love" and the chapters of "Love Interruption" saved to my computer, and will re-post them if necessary, or find another online outlet to share them in the event that they are deleted. **

**Okay, I'm done rambling now. **

***cough* review me *cough* **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm always apologizing in these author's notes, but I have to say I'm sorry. I intended to update a few days ago. However, my internet hasn't been working, which has been huge problem since I needed to re-watch 3x19 a lot as I wrote this chapter. My other excuse is that this chapter contains a lot of Tyler/Caroline, which I'm not a huge fan of writing (and I'm sure you're not a huge fan of reading either...so I'm sorry for that too in advance, ha). **

**Please be patient with this chapter as it contains original dialogue from 3x19 and a bit of Tyler and Caroline. It's necessary. I hope you can understand that, even if you don't like it. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I promise!**

**And I hate that we live in such an uptight society where I even have to say this, but in case you didn't notice the 'M' rating, please be warned that this chapter contains scenes of sexuality.**

**As usual, forgive the grammatical and/or spelling errors. **

**Please also refer to the author's note at the end when you're finished!**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

_She entered the school gym, trying her best to hold a confused look as she examined the progress made so far in the preparations for the dance. _

_Noticing Matt across the room, she approached him, eager to get this show underway so she could leave for Tyler who would be waiting to meet her shortly. _

"What is this?" she asked Matt.

_He did his best to fake a defensive glare. _

_They had haphazardly planned the scenario earlier this morning. She hoped both of them remembered enough of it so they could improvise successfully. _

_All she needed now was for Rebekah to make her appearance. _

"It's a decade dance remember? You made us sign up to help," Matt said, offering a friendly, but fake reminder.

_Months ago she had been ecstatic to plan their final decade dance before graduation. She had never forgotten about it, especially with Rebekah around now, but it wasn't as important to her as it once was. _

"No, this," she corrected him as she picked up a purple boa "...the twenties? We're doing the seventies," she stated seriously.

_Before Matt could respond and continue with their charade, Rebekah's voice sounded throughout the gym. Right on time, Caroline thought. _

"Too flashy people; it's supposed to be a speakeasy not the world fair," Rebekah complained.

_She listened for Rebekah to approach. Dropping the purple boa in false frustration, she turned around to face Klaus's sister. _

"Ah good you're here. They need help setting up the tables so get to it," Rebekah ordered her.

_It appeared as though someone had completely forgotten about what happened last night. That or she was avoiding the topic. Caroline preferred it was not brought up anyways. It would only distract her from the main objective of freeing herself from her decade dance commitments. _

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded angrily.

"Somebody has to be in charge," Rebekah countered proudly.

"Yeah me," she answered sarcastically. "I'm the chair of the dance committee; the theme of the decade dance is the nineteen-seventies," she announced as she crossed her arms.

_She knew that would rile Rebekah up. _

"So you'd rather dress in tacky colours with bad hair than be a classic flapper from the Jazz age. Honestly, I don't know what my brother sees in you," Rebekah wondered aloud.

_For a split second Caroline was caught off guard by Rebekah's comment. Klaus "saw" something in her? She wasn't sure how she felt about that. _

"Well maybe he sees a challenge. You see unlike some other people I don't sleep with everyone I make eye contact with," she retorted.

_Rebekah's eyes narrowed as she inched closer to Caroline. _

"Perhaps you don't, but there is one person in particular you have been sleeping with, and we both know his name isn't Tyler," Rebekah said quietly to her so that Matt couldn't hear.

_Caroline's eyes widened instantly and she struggled to find a response. _

- "Maybe we can do both decades," Matt said, providing a welcome interruption.

"No!" both she and Rebekah refused in unison.

"Go on Matt don't be a coward. You know you loved my twenties idea when I presented it to the group," Rebekah said, playing right into Matt and Caroline's plan.

"Traitor!" Caroline declared, as she faced Matt.

"Bell bottoms and disco? I don't know this just seemed cooler," Matt shrugged.

Rebekah leaned in once more towards her. "See? It's just cooler," she bragged.

_Caroline shook her head and throwed her hands up in defeat. _

"Whatever! Have fun at your stupid dance," she said bitterly, before marching out of the gym.

_It took all her power to hide a triumphant smile as she walked out. _

"Caroline, wait!" Matt yelled after her out of fake concern, as she reached her car.

_She turned to him with a huge smile playing on her lips. _

"Impressive. You sold it," she congratulated him.

"And you bought yourself a day," Matt added.

"Thank you. Just keep her occupied. And be careful!" she warned him.

"You too...and uh...tell him I said hi okay?" he told her.

_She nodded as she got in her car. _

* * *

_She was still grinning from ear to ear as she parked her car in a secluded spot just off of the main highway leading into Mystic Falls. _

_Somehow she and Matt and been able to fool Rebekah. She had freed herself from Rebekah's suspicion and her dance committee duties for the day; which was fine with her, because to be honest, she really would have preferred the Seventies era for the dance anyways. _

_She was becoming quite the actress, she thought to herself as she climbed out of her car. She had fooled Katherine, Rebekah, to some extent Klaus, most of her friends, and if luck was on her side, Tyler would be next. Lying was not something she was proud of but she didn't feel like she had any other choice._

_Matt did deserve some of the credit for her successful day thus far. He had played Rebekah's guilt for last night to his advantage. She melted like ice cream in the palms of his hands. She had been so preoccupied trying to return to his good graces, she didn't even put up a fight when Caroline relinquished her dance responsibilities for the day. _

_Her successful acting abilities could only sustain a good mood for so long, however. Thoughts of Klaus and Tyler quickly dampened it. _

_Although as a vampire she didn't need much sleep in order to function, she had barely slept at all last night. She had tossed and turned with guilt, and regret. She was paying the price now with every yawn that had plagued her. _

_If she was being honest, she had also been kept awake by a nagging pain in her chest. She had barely been with Klaus long enough to grow attached, but she could sense the feeling of loss; much like a break up. She hated herself for feeling it at all. _

_This too shall pass, she said to herself. _

_The prospect of seeing Tyler made her anxious, but she hoped it would be good for her. Perhaps if she remembered what they had together, severing any weak ties she had to Klaus would be easier; would convince her she had made the right choice. _

_She walked observantly through the woods towards the familiar underground Lockwood tunnels, enjoying the warmer spring-like weather, listening for any sound of Tyler. _

_Despite the fact that she couldn't see him, she could sense him, and she knew he was close by, watching her. _

_Feeling him immediately behind her, she couldn't help but smile at his game. _

_She knew that once she turned around Tyler would be standing there, and she mentally prepared herself for the emotional one-eighty she would have to do. He needed to know she was happy and relieved to see him. Truthfully, a part of her was. Another part was disappointed and unsure. However, she could not have him suspect anything. _

_It was time for her to resume her life with Tyler and forget about the distant fantasy that was Klaus. The sooner that happened, the better. If she acted pleased to see Tyler, then maybe she would really feel it. It would work. _

_Once she turned around to face him, she found herself bewildered. He had been gone for so long it seemed. It was surprising to see him in the flesh in front of her. However, the excitement she was expecting to and wanting to feel never came. _

"Hi..." she said wearily.

_His face was nearly expressionless, and she waited nervously for a response from him. Her conscience rushed into panic mode as she considered the possibility that Klaus had somehow reached him and told him what she had been up to while he was away. _

_That was until Tyler's lips pursed into a smile. _

_Instant relief. _

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," he explained.

_Her heart sunk with his admission. Her guilt was weighing her down. She had barely thought about him - aside from her guilty conscience since she had crossed the line with Klaus. _

_The past is the past, she said to herself. If she was going to move on with Tyler, she couldn't hold herself back there, trapped in her guilt. _

_Putting on a brave face, she smiled brightly at Tyler. _

_This was going to work. _

_In a heightened effort to convince herself of this, she stepped towards Tyler eagerly and kissed him hard. _

_He kissed her back with equal intensity but with more feeling than she had been able to give. _

_Not even a kiss - that had once fueled their passion - could dig up the old feelings she felt and refocus her attention. _

_Tyler didn't seem to notice, as he was too busy sucking her lips and nipping at her neck while he guided them towards the underground Lockwood tunnels. _

_She dreaded the idea of having sex here. Although she wasn't particularly keen on having sex with Tyler at all right now, this was one of the last places she had in mind when she envisioned the location of their inevitable reunion. _

_It was damp, uncomfortable, and dreary. _

_She had to go through with it regardless of her opinion on the location. Any second guessing from her would alarm Tyler. He needed to believe that she had just as much enthusiasm for him as he did for her. With time, she could only hope that would become truth again. _

_Caught up in her thoughts, she knew there was no more room for thinking and distraction. She'd lose it that way. _

_Grabbing the collar of his jacket, she switched positions with him, taking the lead through the tunnel towards the black iron gate. _

_She kissed him with as much lust as she could muster before pushing open the gate and turning to enter. _

_Once inside, she removed her jacket anticipatorily before turning back to face him as he stalked towards her. _

_His hands wrapped possessively around her waist, as her own cradled his jaw. _

_They continued their frenzied kissing while he pushed her backwards against the stone wall. _

_Taking the initiative, she lifted his shirt off to move things along. _

_She could tell by the aggressive way he was kissing and touching her that foreplay would be minimal._

_After being apart for so long, she couldn't really hold Tyler's desire against him. _

_In part, her guilty conscience wanted it to be over quickly. At the same time, she had hoped a long intermission between initiation and sex would give her time to enhance her desire for him. _

_While she attempted to remove her boots with her feet, he could barely keep his hands off of her. In no time, her shirt was on the dirty ground. _

_His lips were at her cleavage instantly, and she closed her eyes as she ran her hands through his hair, trying to revel in the sensory experience of it all. _

_With a pinch of his fingers against the fabric of her bra, that too also fell to the ground beside them. _

_She cringed at the thought of having to put these clothes back on later now that they had been spoiled by the dirt. _

"I want you so bad," Tyler husked as he fondled her breasts and kissed under her ear.

_Normally, his voice and ministrations would have sent her reeling, but still, she felt nothing. _

_She whimpered in agreement, before tugging at the button of his jeans. _

_He stepped back and pulled his pants and boxers down to his thighs, while she removed the black tights and black thong she had been wearing. _

"Are you ready baby?" he asked as his hands snaked their way up the backs of her bare thighs.

_She nodded enthusiastically, but it was a lie. She was nowhere near ready, emotionally or physically. In fact, she was almost completely dry. _

_He lifted her up by her thighs and propped her up against the stone wall. _

_She barely noticed the pain of the jagged ridges of the rocks digging into her back, as the pain she felt as he attempted to enter her was way worse. _

_Her finger nails dug into his upper back as she winced loudly. She could only hope that Tyler perceived her pain as pleasure. _

"You're so tight," he murmured against her shoulder.

_As he continued his thrusts, her body slowly began to respond; her womanhood naturally lubricating itself out of necessity. _

_She was relieved and began to relax only slightly. _

_Closing her eyes, she tried hard to focus on the physical stimulation. _

_At this point she realized that what her Cosmo magazines had been saying all this time had been true; the key to good sex was as much about mental presence as it was physical touch. _

_Draping her head over his shoulder, she tried to think of past occasions with Tyler that had been enjoyable for her. _

_When Klaus's face entered the forefront of her mind, she froze. _

"Are you okay?" Tyler panted as he continued to thrust.

_She tightened her grasp around him and clenched her eyes shut, hoping her mental image would fade. _

"Yeah, don't stop," she breathed.

_As if she didn't already feel guilty enough, thinking about Klaus while Tyler fucked her made the feeling worse. _

_Sure, she had a few male celebrities she liked to think about when she was alone, but she had never pictured anyone else while she was with Tyler before...celebrity or not. The fact that she was thinking about a "real" person that she had already betrayed Tyler with was even more shameful. _

_Although she fought the urge, Klaus continued to invade her most personal thoughts. Her thoughts drifted towards the more salacious moments of their last night together. She recalled the way his lips danced between her thighs, and how his eyes dug into hers as he did so. She quivered at the thought. He had fit inside of her perfectly, and his slow thrusts inside of her made her moan with delight. She now found herself repeating those very moans as a result of her recollections in Tyler's embrace. _

_If she continued her train of thought a bit longer she could have probably made herself cum, but from the sounds of Tyler's inaudible words and groans of pleasure, she knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer. _

_And as if on cue, Tyler thrust deeply inside of her one last time, releasing a final moan to signal his climax. _

_She really didn't need a verbal indicator. As his hands let her legs slide slowly back down to the ground, she could feel the hot sticky evidence of his orgasm on her thighs. _

_Normally, that would have pleased her, but today it disgusted her, for reasons she was still unsure about. _

_Holding her face in his hands, he kissed her gratefully. _

"I'm sorry," he laughed, as he lounged his face on the crock of her neck.

_He pulled up his pants. _

"For what?" she asked confused, trying to match his amusement.

_He stood back and she could tell that he was embarrassed. _

"I lasted like five minutes," he explained. "Did you at least cum?" he asked her.

_She bit her lip and she knew this was one thing she couldn't fake. _

"No..." she shook her head.

_Tyler's hopeful expression quickly dropped. _

"But it's okay," she assured him quickly as she grasped his hands in hers.

_She kissed his cheek. _

"You missed me, I understand. I'll take it as a compliment," she said with a smile, hoping to recover his ego. "You can make it up to me later," she added.

_This seemed to settle him, and he smirked at her, before lightly pecking her lips. _

"I'm ready to go right now," he beamed enthusiastically.

_She laughed and began to pick her clothes up from the ground. _

"I'm tired. I just want to be with you," she claimed, hoping he'd buy it.

_He nodded. _

"I brought some blankets...candles...food. Let's just hang out," he agreed with her.

_While Tyler began to light the candles, she eagerly collapsed against the blanket covered ground. It was still hard, but a little more comfortable than their standing position had been. _

_She pulled another one of the blankets over herself and exhaled sharply as she let all her thoughts take over again. _

_As she lied there she struggled to put a coherent understanding to her feelings. _

_She couldn't help but feel disappointed and disgusted with herself. She had never used sex as a means to an end before (well aside from an orgasm of course). She had never manipulated anyone with it before, or used it to get something she wanted. She had done that today with Tyler and she could hardly believe it. She felt dirty for it. _

_Moreover, she had thought about Klaus while Tyler fucked her. Klaus was right, he couldn't stay away from her, not even during the most inappropriate of moments. _

_She was beginning to realize that although her acting skills had convinced her friends and Tyler that any feelings she had for Klaus were non-existent, convincing herself of the exact same thing would prove to be quite the challenge. _

"What are you thinking about?" Tyler asked, looking down at her as he waved out a match and set the last candle down.

_Klaus had asked her that same question the previous night. She shivered. _

_She would have loved to pour her heart out to Tyler had he not been at the centre of her thoughts, along with another one of his fellow hybrids. She needed someone to talk to. Everyone she knew had a conflict of interest. _

_It didn't matter now though. _

_Klaus was water under the bridge; there was no use in burdening Tyler with information that wouldn't hurt him now. _

"I'm just thinking about how happy I am that you're finally home," she said, knowing that statement was not entirely true.

_He grinned back and climbed onto the pile of blankets to lie beside her. She moved closer to him, resting her head and her hand on his chest. _

_His body relaxed and he let out a long sigh of contentment._

"Did I mention I missed you...bad?"

_She giggled and kissed his chest, pretending to be flattered by his admission. All she felt was a combination of guilt and sadness. In fact, she felt like she wanted to be sick. _

_She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her breathing, hoping to settle herself. She couldn't dwell on things. She needed to immerse herself in her relationship with Tyler. _

"At some point we're going to do this in an actual bed right?" she half asked, half suggested, hoping that humour would distract her.

_Tyler laughed. _

"Yes, I promise, once I figure out how to deal with Klaus," he told her.

_She fought hard to hold back a frown as she thought about what he meant by "deal with Klaus." _

_Stay present Caroline, she coached herself. _

"Tell him to suck it," she blurted out. "You broke his sire bond. You won't have to deal with him anymore," she added triumphantly while she ran her fingers over Tyler's chest.

_Inside, the weight of her words hit her heart like a tonne of bricks. Not only would Tyler not have to deal with him anymore...as of last night she wouldn't have to either. At least not in the way she yearned to. _

"It's easier said than done. Besides, I won't know if it's broken for sure until I test it," he revealed.

_His latest news startled her. She thought he had broken the sire bond? Sure, she may have been questioning her feelings for Tyler, but she didn't want him to get hurt. _

"Wait," she said, propping herself up on her elbows, "I thought that's why you were coming back, because you said you felt different?" she questioned him.

_Tyler nodded in agreement. _

"I do feel different. I feel freer; way more myself," he told her. "All I know I just turned about 100 times in the Appalachian mountains; If I can get through that I can get through anything," he said confidently.

_She was reassured by his words. Nonetheless, she was still worried. _

_At this point, she decided it was time to tell him about the vampire bloodline issue. He needed to know for his safety. He needed to know before he tried to do anything drastic in his effort to "deal with Klaus." _

"Good, because Klaus may not be our only problem..." she said hesitantly.

_Tyler's expression quickly changed to one of uncertainty. _

"Why? What else I miss?" he asked as he sat up on his forearms.

"Matt killed an original. And then every vampire that original had ever turned mysteriously died. Right now Damon is desperate to figure out which original created our vampire bloodline and if he finds out it wasn't Klaus they're all gonna kill him," she explained.

_She could tell that Tyler soon realized what the implication of that was for him. _

"But Klaus turned me. So if he dies, I die," Tyler concluded.

"I know that. They know that. Difference is Damon doesn't care," she said to him bluntly.

* * *

_After discussing the new set of circumstances they now found themselves in, they spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing about happier moments and memories – a good distraction for her. They finished off their time underground indulging in a little blood Tyler had packed, as well as the more traditional picnic food. Luckily for her, he made no further attempt to be intimate with her. _

_They left the woods discreetly and ended up at her place. Much to her relief, he decided it would be best if they stayed in; that it was too risky to be out in public in the event that Klaus saw them. However, when he suggested they watch a movie together, she hesitated. Her guilt and thoughts of Klaus were there to confront her at every turn. They had found some movie to watch on T.V., and as much as she tried to watch it, she spent most of the movie thinking about how she had done this very same thing with Klaus the night before. _

_When the movie was over, she suggested sleep, even though it was still fairly early. Regardless, she was mentally exhausted. In addition to sleep, she had also suggested the possibility of him staying at her house in order to prevent Klaus from finding out about his return._

_As she called her mother at work to ask for her permission, she was still trying to figure out what she was thinking when she brought up the idea. After all, being around Tyler was a constant reminder of her betrayal. Not to mention the possibility that Klaus would discover them. It was a risky idea, given her recent history with him, but that same history convinced her that Klaus would never have the audacity to show up here again. She had made herself clear to him. _

_Maybe she was protecting herself as much as she was Tyler. Having Tyler around constantly would keep her on the straight and narrow. It would solidify her commitment and push her back closer to him. There would be no room for straying. And if Klaus did happen to find out, she hoped that would be what would finally push him away from her for good. _

_Although she expected her mother to outright reject the idea of her daughter's boyfriend sleeping under the same roof as her daughter, her mother had surprised her, and instead, accepted the idea. _

_She walked back into her bedroom with pillows and blankets in hand to share the news with Tyler, who looked eager to share her bed with her. _

"My mom said you can stay as long as you want," she told him.

_He seemed thrilled by the news. _

"Did she say we could share the bed?" he asked hopefully.

"No. She said you could sleep on the couch, at least until we figure out what Damon and Stefan find out about Klaus," she told him.

_She was lying. Her mother had never specified where Tyler could sleep. Although she assumed her mother would prefer that Tyler sleep on the couch as a mother of a teenage daughter; as the mother of a vampire, human concerns like teenage pregnancy were no longer important. Before Tyler left to break the sire bond, she would have used her mother's loophole to her advantage in order to sleep beside her boyfriend. Now, she was using it to avoid him. She was eager to be alone and think herself to sleep. _

"And if Klaus didn't create their line and they try and kill him?" Tyler asked aloud, snapping her out of her thoughts.

_He needed more reassurance. _

"Tyler, I just got you back," she said, before kissing him. "I'm not losing you again," she finished once they broke the kiss.

_She walked back into the living room and began making the couch up for him to sleep on. _

"Klaus drew this for you?" Tyler asked.

_She paused, knowing exactly what Tyler was referring to before she even looked in his direction. _

_Turning around, she noticed him holding the drawing Klaus did of her. _

"That's pretty creepy," he observed.

_Shit. She had left the drawing on her nightstand last night. Mentally scolding herself, she walked towards her bedroom. On the bright side of things, he had not found the other – more suggestive – drawing he had added to her collection. _

"Yeah, Klaus is pretty creepy. Even when he's trying to be charming," she agreed, hoping she could steer his suspicion away from her.

"Charming? Does Klaus have a thing for you or something?" Tyler asked as his jealousy and anger quickly rose to the surface.

_I've been asking myself that same question, she thought to herself. _

"No!" She denied. "As far as I'm concerned he's incapable of real feelings," she added.

_Was he incapable of real feelings? Was it possible for any being regardless of what they were to be completely devoid of feeling? He had shown himself capable of feeling, and that terrified her. _

"I'm serious. What the hell happened when I was gone?" Tyler demanded.

_For a few fleeting moments she considered spilling her guts to Tyler. He had given her an open chance to tell him everything. She almost went for it, but her fear got the better of her. Her pride did as well. Certainly, she had betrayed his trust, so she really had no reason to be defensive. However, he knew nothing of her indiscretion and his inability to trust her was disheartening. _

"Tyler. Nothing. Nothing happened," she explained.

"Then why'd you keep this?" he countered.

_Why had she kept Klaus's drawings? Was it simple for their artistic merit, or was it because she had been his muse and found herself flattered and entranced by his interest in her? Both of the above, she concluded. _

"I don't know," she answered dumbfounded.

_Tyler looked more than displeased at this point. _

"I think I'm gonna find someplace else to spend the night," he stated flatly as he left her bedroom, leaving her stunned and speechless.

"Tyler," she called, turning after him. "Tyler!" she said louder as she walked out into the hall.

_He was already at the front door. _

"Tyler, it's not what you think," she said exasperated, grasping for anything to make him stop.

_He spun around. The hurt was visible in his eyes. _

"Then what is it!" he asked, clearly frustrated.

_She sighed. Although not about to tell him about her true conflicted feelings, she decided to tell him about her role as 'secret Agent Caroline.' Perhaps that would help him to understand. _

"I've been seeing Klaus," she said, knowing how that would sound.

_Tyler's expression instantly turned sour. _

"You've been what?" he stammered.

"Well, it's obvious from the drawing alone, that he has some sort of interest in me. Everyone decided that it could be helpful if I used that to our advantage..." she admitted.

_The fury on his face began to dissipate, but he still looked confused, nonetheless. _

"Used it to our advantage?" he remarked, unsure of what that meant exactly.

"Yeah...like I could hang out with him to try and find information out...stuff about the sire bond...the doppelganger, his weaknesses..." she clarified.

_He folded his arms and his brows furrowed. She was not out of the woods with him yet, it seemed. _

"So what? You're pretending to be his girlfriend? How is that supposed to make me feel any better?" he challenged.

_She shrugged. _

"I'm not pretending to be his girlfriend. I've just hung out with him a few times. That's all Tyler, I promise," she emphasized. "I was doing it for you...I was doing it to help Elena," she reminded him as tears began to blur her vision.

_She was ready to cry. She wanted to cry. Not because she was upset about Tyler, but because she was so overwhelmed by her feelings; how quickly they had gotten out of hand and completely swallowed her. _

"Well I don't need your help, and Elena has enough help from the Salvatores," he hissed, before opening the door and stomping outside.

"Tyler! Wait!" she exclaimed as she followed after him. "Please come back inside, you're being ridiculous!" she said, starting to grow angry herself.

_Again, she knew she had no right to be angry at Tyler, but she was. _

_Tyler continued down the walkway towards his car, not once bothering to acknowledge her or her comments. _

_The cool early spring night time air whirled around her and she wrapped her arms around her chest as she looked on. _

_She said nothing more. If he wanted to leave she would let him. _

_What upset her more was the fact that his departure came as a relief to her. _

_Once in his car, he sped off down the road; his tires squeaking against the pavement. _

_Returning inside, she changed into her pyjamas and then proceeded to shut most of the lights off. She curled up on couch she had made up for Tyler. Using the remote, she turned on the television. Sleep would not come easy for her tonight. The low vibration and glow of the television always seemed to do the trick. _

_She was right. She had fallen asleep almost instantly despite her troubled mind. If there was anything plaguing her more than guilt, it was exhaustion.  
_

* * *

_When her eyes opened she found herself in the midst of a dream. She felt conscious of that fact – as she had felt with many of her dreams. However, her conscious self was powerless to stop it. She was a mere spectator of the events that were unfolding behind her eyes. _

_Music of some sort was playing in the background. It was a piano piece...classical music. As she looked around, her dream world came into better focus. She was seated at the Salvatore dining table in the boarding house. There were numerous plates of food and decanters of blood and wine atop the table, though she could not smell any of it. It was late evening from what she could see through the windows. Voices were ringing all around her too, and as she concentrated their faces became recognizable. _

_She was surprised to find most of her friends seated around the table, along with unexpected dinner guests: the original family. It confused her. Damon, Stefan, Jeremy, Bonnie, Elena, Matt, and Alaric were all seated in front of her. Kol, Rebekah, and Elijah were too. Everyone looked friendly; nobody was fighting. The dinner appeared amicable. _

_However, she soon realized that Tyler and Klaus were missing. _

"I missed you," a voice echoed.

_Turning to her left – the direction of the voice – she was met with Tyler seated beside her. He lightly kissed her cheek, and she felt her dream self begin to smile wide in response. _

_When a hand brushed against her jean covered thigh under the table, she nearly jumped. At first, she glanced at Tyler for an explanation, but found both of his hands occupied by a wine glass and fork. Turning to her right, Klaus's face immediately appeared, and she discovered him seated directly beside her. It was his hand that was drawing lazy circles along her right thigh. _

_She glared at him, signalling for him to stop. _

_He responded with a devilish smirk and instead, continued his hand adventure over her thigh with full cover provided by the white table cloth. _

_Her breathing hitched as she tried to concentrate on the topic of conversation at the table and ignore Klaus's dangerous game. _

_When she tried to listen, she found the conversation was inaudible to her. Everyone was laughing and their mouths were moving but she couldn't hear them. _

_She tried to swat Klaus's hand away but he was persistent. _

_His teasing was relentless, knowing she could not say anything aloud to protest. She wanted to stand but she found herself unable move. _

_She sipped on her wine distractedly and uncomfortably as his hand cupped her sex over her jeans, which were becoming damper by the second. _

_When his fingertips pressed hard against her clit through her pants, she nearly choked on her drink. She coughed loudly to stifle her instinctively pleased reaction. _

"Are you okay, babe?" Tyler asked her concerned.

_She nodded in response to his question as she took the last remaining bite of her meal. _

_From what she could tell, as she watched her dream unfold, she was eating steak. _

_As everyone began to finish and grow restless, she shot up from the table before Klaus could test her any longer and offered to do the dishes. _

_She noted Klaus's frown, as well as several surprised looks; namely from Elena and Bonnie, who knew she detested washing dishes. _

_Hurriedly, she gathered up what dishes she could handle and darted for the Salvatore kitchen. She cursed herself when she realized the brothers had not invested in the modern convenience of a dishwasher. _

_She exhaled in defeat, and rolled up the sleeves of the blouse she was wearing before turning on the hot water tap. _

_Once the sink was filled with hot water and dish soap she dropped a few of the dishes into the water to soak. _

_Not long after that, Elena barged in with a handful of more dishes for her to wash. _

"What the hell has come over you, Caroline? Since when did you start doing dishes?" Elena asked, quite amused.

_Caroline shrugged. _

"I just thought I'd be polite," she snapped at her friend.

_Elena quickly backed down and left, presumably to bring her even more dirty dishes. _

_When the door to the kitchen swung open once more and she heard more dishes clang against the counter behind her, she laughed to herself. _

"Elena, if I knew Stefan and Damon hadn't entered the latter part of the twentieth-century yet by buying a dishwasher, I wouldn't have offered," she confessed to her friend.

"Perhaps you could use a hand then, love?" a wicked, but familiar, accented voice asked from directly behind her.

_The hair on the back of her neck rose immediately as his breath kissed her skin. _

_She scoffed and played down his suggestion. _

"I don't need your help," she told him, not bothering to acknowledge his presence.

_She continued washing. _

"I never pegged you as the domestic type, Caroline. I think we both know why you're in here," he mused.

_His hands ran along her hips as she stood there motionless. Once more, she couldn't move. _

_He was right. She wasn't the domestic type. She had really only offered to do the dishes so she could escape his bittersweet attentions. _

_Her breathing hitched as his fingers reached the button of her jeans. _

_She struggled to concentrate on washing the plate in her hand while his right hand slipped under her jeans and then her panties. _

"You need to stop," she panicked. "Tyler...or anyone could come in here and find us," she warned him of the consequences.

_That was useless. He didn't care about consequences. _

"We're fine," he assured her. "Tyler's about to play a game of poker with my brothers and a few of your friends," he explained.

_She tried to focus her hearing out to the other room, but apparently that vampire trait had been suspended for her in this dream sequence. _

_His hand dipped lower between her legs, completely enveloping her centre. _

_She gasped. _

"So why aren't you out there then trying to show Tyler up?" she wondered, hoping this would prompt him to leave, despite her body's protests.

"Because Bonnie is playing, and witches are notorious cheaters. I'd rather play my hand somewhere else...where my probability of success is greater," he hissed against her ear.

_She swallowed hard in response. His words had triggered an instant heat between her thighs. _

_The fact that his fingertips were beginning to draw circles around her clit didn't help either. _

_She dropped the glass she was currently trying to wash back into the sink and slammed the palms of her hands flat against the counter in an effort to hold herself up. _

_His free hand dipped inside her blouse, causing one of the top buttons to pop away. _

_The combination of his fingers kneading the flesh of her breast while the other dipped urgently inside of her womanhood caused her to sigh louder than she had anticipated. _

"Mmm, you're dripping," he observed, while two of his fingers pumped slowly in and out of her and the back of his thumb brushed over her most sensitive spot.

_Her body was completely tense as the pleasurable pressure built up under his expert hand between her legs. _

_One of her feet was stepping on top of the other in an attempt to distract herself with pain to quell the extreme delight she was experiencing. _

_They couldn't get caught. _

_She was clenching the countertop between her hands so hard she felt like it would break. _

_He pressed himself into her backside so that the evidence of his own arousal was blatantly obvious to her. _

_She whimpered quietly as he kept up his welcome torture. _

_It was all she could do to keep quiet. _

_This was so wrong, but she knew she lacked the willpower to push him away. She lacked the willpower because she wanted him in spite of everything. _

"Let go, love," he urged her. "Cum for me sweetheart," he begged.

_She was trembling now; teetering on the edge; on the verge of climax. So close, she thought. _

"What the hell is going on?" Tyler's voice demanded from the both of them as he entered the kitchen.

_Her stomach rose to her chest and her eyes shot open. _

_Although it wouldn't have surprised her if Klaus continued his actions regardless of Tyler's presence, he promptly removed his hands from inside both her pants and her shirt, before turning around to react to Tyler. _

_She quickly straightened her blouse and buttoned up her pants, slowly following Klaus's lead to face Tyler. _

"Is someone going to answer me!" Tyler shouted furiously.

_She tried to speak, but words were inaccessible to her. Instead, she chewed her lip as she peered anxiously over Klaus's shoulder. _

_Klaus chuckled and stepped towards Tyler. He brought the index finger that had been so deep inside of her moments ago to his lips and sucked on it, as if he was savouring the lingering taste of a delicious meal. _

"Well mate, I think you just missed dessert," Klaus finally answered with a smug look on his face.

_Suddenly everything went blurry, and any noise from the dream was drowned out by an annoying ringing sound.  
_

* * *

_Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in her darkened living room. The glow of her vibrating cell phone on the coffee table was the only thing providing her with any light to see. _

_She examined the display to see that it was Matt calling her. _

_Sitting up, she pushed one of the blankets she had got for Tyler off of her legs. She tried to recall when she had fallen asleep, when she had grabbed the blanket, and whether or not she had set the sleep timer on the television. _

"Hello?" she answered the phone.

_She yawned and rubbed her eyes. _

"Hey, Care," Matt's voice replied.

_He sounded nervous..._

"Hey," she repeated. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?" she asked.

_Strangely, those questions had become routine in her conversations with friends lately. _

"No nothing happened, everything is fine. Did I wake you up?" he wondered.

"I fell asleep on the couch," she explained, as she stood up.

"Listen, I wanted to let you know that Tyler's crashing here. I didn't want you to worry," Matt informed her.

_She was relieved to know where Tyler was. _

"Thanks for calling," she told Matt truthfully.

"You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to..." he assured her, sensing she felt obligated to go into detail about what caused Tyler to show up at his place.

_She tip toed in the dark towards the kitchen, eager for something to drink. _

"Did he say anything to you?" she asked.

"He said he found out about you and Klaus; that you've been hanging out with him to find out information. He said he isn't going to let him go near you again," Matt explained.

_Caroline scoffed under her breath. Sure, she knew she was in the wrong for reasons Tyler was completely unaware of, but she hated how he felt as though he could tell her what to do. _

"I'm only trying to help," she replied defensively, as if she was talking to Tyler directly.

_She grabbed a clean glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. _

_Matt sighed. _

"I know that, Care. And deep down, Tyler knows that. I think the whole thing just freaked him out a little."

"Yeah," she said in a disappointed tone, before taking a sip of her drink.

_She went to lean against the counter by the sink, but recoiled when her latest dream came to mind. _

"I told him that he needs to trust you," Matt stated.

_She could feel her body go numb again. No, the last thing he should be doing is trusting me, she thought. _

"Thanks, Matt," she responded, as she decided to head for her bedroom.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow morning some more. He's passed out on the couch right now," Matt told her.

_Her eyes did a second take as they noticed the soft glow of light peering out from her bedroom door that was slightly ajar. _

_She inhaled sharply. _

"Care, are you still there?"

"Yeah, um, that sounds good. I'll talk to you later," she said hurriedly.

"Goodni..."

_She ended the call before Matt could finish his goodbye. _

_The light in her room had been off before. She had turned it off when she left her room for the living room couch. _

_Thinking fast, she grabbed a wooden broom from the hall closet, knowing she could easily use it as makeshift stake if she had to. She wasn't going to take any chances. _

_Setting her glass of water on the hall table, she approached her bedroom door with caution. _

_Deciding to go for the element of surprise, she bashed the door completely open, only to find __**him**__ standing there, eyes focused away from her, peering down at her nightstand. _

"Trouble in paradise, love?" he asked with a grin.

* * *

**A/N:**

**- given that this chapter does contain original dialogue and scenes, please forgive me if they're not entirely accurate. I don't have time to scrutinize every second of the scenes I used. My lack of internet connection certainly didn't allow for that either.**

**- I know some of you were concerned about the Tyler/Caroline sex scene and didn't want it to happen. I felt it needed to, and I hope I made clear as to why in the chapter. If not, please feel free to PM me.**

**- I hope you enjoyed Caroline's dream scenario. That was my way of making up for the Tyler/Caroline scene. It wasn't just thrown in there for entertainment though. It has meaning for Caroline.**

**- Is it just me, or is the timeline of 3x19 completely random and confusing at times? (I assume it has to do with the time difference in Denver) If you're confused as to how this chapter fits into the timeline of 3x19, please don't panic, this will become clearer in the next chapter. I hope.**

**- speaking of the next chapter, I intend to do the entire chapter from Klaus's POV. Expect the timing of events to be cleared up as I re-cap some things, and expect some more Klaus/Caroline!**

**- lastly, I eat reviews for breakfast. I would love to know that some of you are still out there eager to read more! I'm hungry! lol**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello all my lovely readers. I just want to thank you again for all the amazing support and reviews I have received for this fanfiction. I'm so thrilled that you are enjoying it!**

As usual please ignore any missed spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, and I would love to know what you think, so please feel free to leave me a review when you're done. **  
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_His mother was dead. _

_In a boring, but bizarre twist of events she had returned to his home and tried to make amends with Rebekah before collapsing to the ground and succumbing to her long and overdue death. All the magic keeping her alive had ceased. _

_In his heart of hearts, which was buried deep beneath the layers of emotional protection he had accumulated, he could feel a small twinge of something; a feeling. _

_He did not mourn the woman whose body he had just stood over only moments ago. Whose body he had helped Rebekah lift back into the coffin she belonged in. She was not his mother. That woman had been misguided. She betrayed him and the rest of his siblings by trying to have them killed. She deserved her fate. _

_No. He did not mourn that woman. He mourned for the woman she once was; the mother she once was to him and his siblings. She was loyal, nurturing, and protective. He had felt safe with her. The only time in his eternity he had experienced that. She would have done anything for her kids. And she had. She had helped turn them into vampires to protect them. That was the woman he had always mourned for...deep down underneath all the layers. _

_In a way, he was relieved. She was one less adversary he would have to contend with. Things - for the most part - were back on track and beginning to come together for him. He imagined the recent future; the stakes that could kill him would all be destroyed, he would have Elena, and he would have his hybrids. Finally. Even still, he felt like something was missing; like he was forgetting something. _

_Crossing the empty street, he stepped onto the sidewalk. He inhaled the scents of the early springtime air. It smelt like new life; new blood. He enjoyed this time of year. _

_Rebekah had laughed at him when he told her he would walk back across town to Stefan's to check in on Stefan's progress with Alaric, but he paid her no mind. He enjoyed the fresh air and the darkness; the time to think. _

_He had left Stefan's because he was growing impatient and didn't feel like spending his entire night waiting on Alaric to spill the beans about the location of the stake. He also thought he should inform Rebekah and Kol of the newest detail to emerge with respect to the magic around vampires. _

_Killing an original vampire would kill every single vampire who had descended from that original's bloodline. _

_This was news to him. Although he supposed it really didn't really mean that much for him. If he was dead, he could care less if all the vampires who had descended from him died as well. In actuality, it seemed fitting. _

_Why should all those descended from him get to live on while he turned to dust? _

_All that really mattered to him was his own survival. He needed that stake to protect himself and his siblings. _

_Kol had informed him of Damon and Elena's trip to Denver. He assumed it was simply to retrieve the younger Gilbert. After all, he had already proven that Jeremy was unsafe there. However, the missing stake prompted him to jump to ulterior motives. Perhaps their trip to Denver had more to do with his brother than Elena's. It unnerved him. _

_These most recent events had almost completely removed any thought of the blonde vampire that had so enthralled him. _

_That was until he turned onto her street. _

_He could have easily taken the main street through Mystic Falls out to Stefan's, but he had purposely taken the backstreets to end up here. _

_It was ridiculous, he thought. He was making a mistake; making things worse. _

_He could never leave well enough alone. _

_The rational part of him had tried to convince himself that he had done the right thing yesterday. Lashing out at her and threatening Matt had successfully pushed her away. He had to do it. She was a distraction from his original intent. He was here for the doppelganger and his future hybrids. Nothing more. If he kept preoccupying himself with her, she would surely ruin his plans; she would ruin him. _

_The irrational part of him could only think about her and how disappointed and upset he had made her. The irrational part of him felt guilty. He tried hard to ignore it. _

_Of course, he could not deny the effect Caroline had on him. He enjoyed her. She was much like this springtime air: fresh, new, exciting, inspiring, and warm. Beautiful was so cliché, but he could not think of a more appropriate word. It was not one that he personally used very often. _

_She had also stirred within him a small twinge of something; a feeling. One that was proving difficult to ignore and let go of. _

_Every time she smiled at him, laughed with him, spoke to him, and looked at him with that intense expression of hers, he could literally feel something being pulled up from the depths of his soul towards the surface. _

_He didn't like it. The powerlessness he felt when he was with her was suffocating. It frightened him and intrigued him all at once. _

_And yet, he still found himself walking down her street towards her house. Just like he had still found himself using Rebekah's cell phone to call her last night to explain himself. She had ignored him as he expected, but he tried. _

_He had no intention of actually seeing her tonight. He knew any encounter between them would not be pleasant, given last night. Things were finished between them. He simply wanted some sort of affirmation; affirmation that he had not permanently emotionally damaged her. He wanted to know she was alright._

_The insanity of that desire made him scoff. _

_As he got closer to her house he noticed her car parked on the street. She was at home._

_He wasn't sure that she would be home. The night was still fairly early and Caroline was quite the popular girl with an impressive list of friends. It was unusual that she would stay at home and let a night of the week go to waste. _

_Perhaps she was home sulking after her disagreement with his sister over the theme of the decade dance? He wasn't trying to be narcissistic, but he also wondered if he had anything to do with her night in. _

_He was in front of a neighbouring yard when he heard and saw the door to Caroline's house open. _

_Quickly, he stepped out of the reach of a nearby streetlight and hid by a parked truck. _

_Who he saw emerge from the house he had not been expecting. _

_It was Tyler. _

_He felt his entire body harden and his eyes narrow. _

_She had been with Tyler. Tyler had been with her. _

_When he asked her yesterday where Tyler was, she lied to him. _

_She had obviously known where he was the entire time. _

_His jaw clenched at the thought. _

_Was it possible that Tyler had been under the radar in Mystic Falls the entire time, and he was simply too distracted to notice or find out? _

_Maybe that was all Caroline was trying to do; distract him so that he would leave Tyler alone. Perhaps he had been fooled into thinking that there was something genuine there. She tricked him. _

_As he blocked the millions of thoughts running rampant through his mind to focus, the reality of the situation became clear. _

_Tyler did not look happy. In fact, he looked furious as he stepped off of Caroline's front porch. _

_Suddenly he heard her familiar voice yell out after him as she followed him outside. _

"Tyler! Wait! Please come back inside, you're being ridiculous!" she said.

_Tyler completely ignored her pleas and climbed inside his car. _

_He turned his attention back to Caroline. _

_Her arms were wrapped around her chest in attempt to shield herself from the cool night air as she watched Tyler speed off down the road. _

_Luckily he had not driven in his direction. _

_Despite the darkness, he could tell that Caroline was upset. _

_He found himself intrigued. What had caused such a bitter quarrel between them? _

_For some reason he felt defensive of her; he almost felt the urge to go after Tyler for an explanation. It was silly. _

_Once Caroline returned inside, he stepped back out from the cover of the truck. _

_He contemplated what to do next. _

_His mind would not be at ease now until he confronted her, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. _

_Should he burst through her front door and demand answers from her? Could he live with the consequences of that decision? The consequences, he knew, would surely involve the severing any possibility Caroline would ever view him in a favourable light again. _

_Maybe he should take a subtler approach? He could struggle to calmly discuss what happened between them and Tyler's surprise presence. While she might be more receptive to that, he doubted that she would ever be receptive to him again regardless of his approach. _

_As much as he hated to admit it, it disappointed him. _

_After a few minutes of weighing his options, he noticed the lights at Caroline's house go out. _

_She was going to sleep, he assumed. _

_It was a perfect opportunity to enter her house unsuspectingly and confront her. She would be caught off guard and unable to react as quickly with the hostility he was expecting. _

_Confident in his decision, he headed for her house, but hesitated at the front steps. _

_He had barely rehearsed what he would say to her and how he would say it. He wanted answers, but he didn't want to come off as too threatening, or too soft. He had already revealed to her enough of the small remaining soft side he had. The last thing he wanted was to come off as vulnerable and weak to her. She couldn't know that she had any ounce of control over him. _

_He took a few more moments to rehearse in his mind how their conversation would play out. He would get his explanations, and that would be that. He would reassert his independence and control and attain the closure he wanted. _

_Utilizing his vampire abilities, he entered her house without a sound. Unless she had been using her own vampire abilities to concentrate her hearing, she would never hear him. _

_He paused at the front door when he noticed flashes of light from the television from the living room hitting the walls. _

_He considered the possibility that she was still awake. _

_The volume on the television was low, but his fine hearing ability was able to determine that an episode of 'Jersey Shore' was on. He smirked at her quirky television preferences. _

_In addition to the sounds from the television, he could also pick up the sound of Caroline's soft consistent breathing coming from the same room. _

_He listened for a few minutes, before confirming his suspicion. She was asleep._

_Standing there, he contemplated what to do next. _

_Although it was dark, he still noticed the bare wall in front of him where a framed picture once hung; the framed picture they had knocked down together by accident in their first throes of passion. He smirked, before turning on his heel towards the living room. _

_At first, he had full intentions of waking her up, but he reconsidered when he saw her. _

_She was curled up on the couch in a black tank top and grey cotton pyjama pants. Her head was nestled against a small pillow, while her hands rested in between. _

_The glow of the television provided him with just enough light to make out the paths of tears on her cheeks. _

_Her tears unsettled him, but he couldn't explain it further. _

_He sighed quietly to himself in defeat. _

_Even though it only seemed to prove his point about her making him weak, he decided to leave her be for tonight. _

_Choosing instead to leave behind a vague hint of his presence for her when she woke up, he pulled the knitted blanket at her feet up over her legs and turned the television off. _

_As he was about to make his exit, her phone began to complain loudly. He reacted instantly and used his vampire speed to bolt across the hall to her bedroom. _

_He should have headed for the front door instead, but his initial gut reaction was simply to not get caught. Her bedroom provided the nearest cover. _

_Once he was sure she was distracted by her phone call, he would make his escape through her window. _

_Standing in the darkness of her room, he could hear her rise from the couch and fumble with her phone. _

_It was probably poor Tyler calling to make amends. He rolled his eyes at the thought. _

"Hello?" he heard her answer groggily.

_She paused for an answer. _

"Hey. Is everything okay? Did something happen?" she asked the caller.

_Okay, it probably wasn't Tyler, he thought to himself. _

"I fell asleep on the couch," she continued, as he heard her stand up from the couch.

_He stepped back further into the darkness of her room, somewhat startled when he felt his legs bump up against the mattress of her bed. _

_He didn't even need to see to know this was her room. The scents of vanilla, roses, lavender, and her fresh perfume filled his nostrils. However, as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, the general details of her room became apparent. _

"Thanks for calling," her voice returned, snapping him from his observations.

_He felt himself growing anxious as he heard her step out into the hallway. _

_Anticipating that she would step through the door at any moment, he readied himself to make a hasty exit. He didn't want whoever was calling to know of his presence. _

_When she turned for the kitchen, he relaxed. _

_It was his chance to leave. However, as he turned for the window, a piece of paper on her nightstand caught her eye. _

_He could hear her rummaging through a kitchen cupboard now, so he decided to take a risk. _

_He turned her bedside lamp on to see the paper clearer. _

_His eyes were met with the first drawing of her he himself had created. _

_It was slightly crumpled, but in one piece nonetheless. _

_Staring at the drawing, he considered what it meant. _

_She could have thrown it away, but she kept it. That surprised him. Did that mean it meant something to her? Or was she merely impressed with his artistic ability? _

_Had Tyler seen it? Is it what provoked their fight? _

"Thanks, Matt," her voice said suddenly.

_Oddly, he found relief in the fact that she was talking to Matt. _

_As he listened, he realized that she wasn't in the kitchen anymore. She was close. _

_Her overextended silence and inhale of surprise, suggested that he had been found out. _

_He waited for her to respond to Matt, as he considered his next action. _

_Although he still technically had plenty of time to escape through her window, he remained stationary. _

_Finding his drawing had reinvigorated his curiosity and need for answers. _

_She was in for a surprise when she pushed open her door, he thought. _

"Yeah, um, that sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow," she mumbled quickly into the phone.

_Indeed, she knew something was amiss. _

_He listened as she set something down on the hall table and opened another door in the hall. She removed something from it before shutting the door again. He assumed it was a closet. She had probably grabbed an object of some sort to defend herself with. _

_That amused him. _

_He got into position and waited impatiently for her to make her way cautiously to her partially closed bedroom door. _

_She paused outside of it for a few moments. _

_Although he half expected it, he was still taken by surprise when she bashed the door open. _

_He didn't look up at her, but from the corner of his eye, he could see her holding a broom in front of her. _

"Trouble in paradise, love?" he asked, grinning.

_She scoffed loudly and rested her useless broom weapon against the wall. _

"I should have known it was you," she said angrily as she walked past him into her room.

_He turned to her with curiosity. _

"You know, if you're going to manipulate my dreams and sexually violate me while I sleep, you could have at least gotten me off," she hissed with an arched brow as she began to put some freshly clean and folded laundry into her dresser.

_His eyes widened at her unexpected comment. What was she talking about? Although he could have mistaken, he sensed some bitterness and genuine sexual frustration hidden behind her words._

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I had no part in any dreams of yours, love," he revealed to her.

_She glared at him in disbelief and he noted her reddening cheeks. _

"You obviously dreamt of me all on your own," he smirked. "You do have me intrigued now though. Perhaps that's why you were moaning in your sleep..." he thought aloud.

_Truthfully, she hadn't made a sound as she slept. He simply wanted to annoy her. _

_She rolled her eyes as she slammed one of her drawers shut. _"I was not," she replied.

_He shrugged. _

"So are you going to tell me why exactly you decided to show up at my house - to my room no less - uninvited?" she asked scornfully.

"I was just passing through on my way to Stefan's," he said vaguely, hoping to string her along as long as he could.

_He could tell she wasn't buying it. _

"You don't have to pass down my street at all to get to Stefan's," she pointed out, clearly onto him.

"I opted for the scenic route," he retorted.

_As she paced around her room in front of him, he sensed that his presence was making her anxious. _

"A phone call would have been nice," she said sarcastically, continuing with her nervous behaviour as she attempted to de-clutter her room.

_She amused him. _

"Would you really have answered?" he retorted, very obviously referring to his effort to call her the previous evening.

"Probably not," she concluded. "You really don't know how to take a hint, do you?" she asked, seemingly annoyed and entertained by the fact all at once.

_He shook his head. _

"I have very selective hearing," he joked.

_She sighed and dropped her arms against her sides. _

"Look Klaus, I don't know why you're here, but it's been a very long day. I think I made myself very clear to you last night, so say what you came here to say. I'm tired," she complained.

_He noted her eyes begin to glisten over with the prospect of tears. No tears fell, but it was clear she was being honest with him. However she had spent her day with Tyler, it had not been a pleasant experience for her. _

_Despite what concern he had for her, he felt satisfied by that. _

"You never answered me before...what's the matter?" he asked.

_Her eyebrows contorted into their infamous unimpressed expression. _

"Nothing..." she lied, her head falling to the side as she looked out her window to ignore him.

_Rebekah played this passive aggressive game with him all the time and he detested it. However, this time, he suspected Caroline was avoiding the issue because she was trying to protect her other lies. _

"Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with Tyler?" he asked her.

_Immediately her surprised but disappointed expression gave her away. _

"Why would my mood have anything to do with Tyler...maybe I'm just upset that you tried to kill my friend last night?" she proposed, trying to shift the focus of their conversation.

_He hated that she was lying to him. In fact, it made the consumed blood in his system boil. _

_Almost on impulse, his vampire speed lunged closer towards her. _

_She jumped as her breath got caught in her throat. Goosebumps rose on her skin while she tried to stand firm in front of him. _

_It bothered him that she was frightened. _

"Don't lie to me," he hissed under his breath.

_Looking up at him, she shook her head quickly, denying his assumption. _

"I'm not lying," she squeaked.

"But you are!" he yelled, fighting the urge to pin her against the wall much like he had the previous night.

_She was biting her bottom lip now. _

"I saw Tyler leave here earlier," he revealed.

_She had been found out, and her face said it all. _

"So what are you doing, spying on me now?" she hissed defensively, again, trying to distract from the real issue.

"Just passing through the neighbourhood, love," he said, holding his hands up innocently. "I seem to recall you telling me just last night that you had no idea where he was..." he reminded her.

"I didn't. I still don't. He just came home today," Caroline said.

"Right. How convenient," he answered back unconvinced.

"I'm telling the truth!" she spat beginning to grow emotional. "Look through my phone, if you don't believe me."

_She really didn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was indeed telling the truth. _

_He thought about what Rebekah had told him earlier. Caroline had stormed out on the preparations for the dance, uncharacteristically. Rebekah had been suspicious. Caroline and Rebekah had been in competition to see their ideas for the dance through ever since the first meeting according to his sister. It would be unlike Caroline to give up so easily. _

_Suddenly, it made sense to him. _

"So that's why you staged the spat with my sister. Rebekah thought something was amiss," he said as he put two and two together.

_Caroline seemed stunned by his ability to connect the dots. He was on the right track. _

"You purposely argued with her so you could leave; leave to see Tyler unsuspected," he finished.

_He glared at her and waited for her to respond. _

_She backed up and nodded slowly. _

_He closed the space between them, wanting to maintain his intimidating stance over her. _

"Things obviously didn't go well, given Tyler's angry departure," he mused. "I don't suppose I had anything to do with that?" he wondered incredulously as he headed for her nightstand.

_She gave another one of her infamous scoffs. _

"Not everything revolves around you," she muttered from behind him.

_He smirked as he turned around with his crumpled drawing of her in his hand. _

"No, it doesn't. But I couldn't help but notice this on your nightstand. Its crumpled condition suggests a degree of distaste," he said moving towards her once more. "You're lucky he didn't find the more salacious one, sweetheart," he added with a flirty smirk. "Given that this was lying out, I have a few theories..." he trailed off, hoping the amusement was clear in his voice.

_She frowned and looked at him expectantly, as if waiting to hear him clarify. _

"Either the paper was damaged following a discussion with Tyler about me..."

"Or?" she interrupted with folded arms and a critical stare.

_He smiled wide. _

"Or...my favourite really," he remarked, as he handed her the drawing. "Tyler brings you to your room, eager to show you how much he _really_ missed you. Skipping the gory details, the two of you are basking in the sexual afterglow...well maybe only Tyler is, until he turns on your bedside lamp to find my drawing that you carelessly - or perhaps purposely - left lying there," he suggested.

_She shook her head, clearly unimpressed with his intrusive hypotheses. _

"Oh, come on? Am I really that far off the mark?" he asked as he stepped directly behind her.

_He leaned in towards her, so that his lips were mere inches from her ear. _

"I can smell him all over you," he hissed disapprovingly. "At some point, you two were doing a lot more than fighting," he concluded, thanks to his wolf side which provided him with an enhanced sense of smell.

_The sight of her body tensing upon his words was completely visible. _

_He honestly didn't want to be right about his last statements. But her body language was undeniable. He almost felt the urge to be sick to his stomach. The thought of Tyler touching her...her allowing him to, disgusted him. _

_He stepped around her again so he could look at her. _

_She had tears in her eyes. _

"Somebody sounds jealous," she retorted, clearly trying her hand at comments that would inflict revenge, as she walked past him this time.

_He followed her with his eyes as she put the drawing in her nightstand drawer. _

_She was keeping it. That renewed his confidence. _

_He balked at her accusation of jealousy. _

"The only thing I feel is betrayal, love. Although, I guess it's my fault. After a thousand years, I should know better," he growled.

"He's my boyfriend, what do you expect?" she said defensively but insecurely.

_She was beginning to cry now, and that put him further on edge. _

"I expect you to be honest with yourself!" he lashed out, shielding himself from her reaction by turning his back to her.

_He took a few moments to collect himself. _

"If I'm jealous over anything, it's your ability to fool yourself," he said calmly as he turned back around.

_She looked at him puzzled. _"Fool myself?"

"Yes, love, fool yourself; fool yourself into thinking that you have the same feelings for Tyler that you had before he left, given everything that has happened during his absence," he said plainly, indirectly alluding to their own trysts.

_Scowling at him, she shook her head at the idea. _

"Why do you think I'm fooling myself? Because I'm supposed to have feelings for you?" she shouted at him, clearly at her breaking point.

_Her question and tone of voice had alarmed him. He had never seen her this way before; this emotional. _

_It made him nervous...and for some reason, upset. _

_He was unsure how to respond. She had brought up something that had plagued him since their first night together; her feelings for him, or the lack thereof. Did he really want to know more about her feelings for him? Did he really want to ask her? _

"Not necessari..."

- "You're wrong," she interrupted, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

_He stilled instantly with her words. Biting the inside of his cheek, he prepared himself for imminent rejection. _

_She looked around her bedroom for a few moments, avoiding his general direction, as she wiped her eyes._

"I can't do it..." she murmured.

_Now he was curious. The suspense was killing him. _

"Can't do what?" he asked.

_She met his stare with her glassy eyes. _"Fool myself."

_He waited for her to explain. _

_She threw her hands up in defeat before they fell against her sides. _

"Today was supposed to be all about fooling myself. I thought spending the day with Tyler would make me forget the last few weeks ever happened..."

_He winced at her apparent admission of regret. He regretted nothing, aside from the aftermath of dangerous and conflicted feelings he was left with. _

_Pushing her hair back with her fingers, she shook her head. _

"But, I only thought about you the entire time I was with him," she revealed.

_He sucked in a breath and nearly felt himself jump out of his skin. _

_What did her confession mean? What did he want it to mean? _

_She was still crying, which was not a good sign. _

"I thought about you of all people," she said almost bitterly and accusatory. "The person who manipulates everyone, who treats people like slaves to control, who wants to destroy my best friend's life...oh and who almost killed another one of my friends last night," she listed sarcastically.

_He looked away, unable to face her. Why? Did he feel ashamed, guilty, remorseful? He cringed at even entertaining the possibility. _

"Matt was nothing per..." he attempted.

- "What? Matt was what? Nothing personal?" she finished for him.

_Scoffing again she clenched her arms around her chest. _

"Don't give me that," she refused angrily. "Don't tell me it was nothing personal when we both know damn well that it was!" she yells exasperated. "It had nothing to do with following through on a petty threat."

_She stood back, eyeing him hesitantly for his reaction. Seconds ago she had stood her ground with him. Now, it seemed she had realized who she was talking to and grew timid as a result. _

_He knew she was expecting him to erupt with rage. He didn't want to meet her expectations. He was tired of fighting her. _

"You're right," he told her simply and calmly. "It didn't."

_She huffed almost proudly, as she ran her arm under her cheeks to catch some wayward tears. _

"It was entirely personal," he admitted. "I wanted to hurt you," he added.

_Caroline was biting her quivering lip now in an effort to keep it and her display of emotion under control. _

_It was no use. Her supply of tears seemed never ending. She whimpered under her breath as she tried to form a coherent response. _

_He was surprised that his honesty would have such an effect on her. After all, she had already assumed what his intentions had been the night previous. _

"W-why?" she stuttered. "Why would you want to hurt me?" she repeated, apparently offended.

_It was his turn to avoid eye contact with her. He had thought about this almost obsessively since last night, and knew the exact detailed answer, but he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her. Once he did, he could never take it back. _

"Why?" she said again, this time a little more sternly.

_He closed his eyes briefly and exhaled before peering into her demanding eyes. _

"Because...you terrify the hell out of me Caroline Forbes," he breathed.

_With his words he could sense her mood and the power dynamic between them shift dramatically. _

_He could almost feel weakness overtaking him as she traded places with him into his position of power and control. _

_Laughter overtook her crying, much like a rainbow shining through the rain. She was laughing at the absurdity of it, he knew. _

_She quieted down quickly realizing her laughter may have given the wrong impression; that she was laughing at him. _

"You...are scared of me?" she asked, still amused and unsure by the idea.

_He shrugged. _

"But you're like a bazillion times stronger than me. If I frighten you so much then why don't you just kill me?" she reasoned.

_She obviously still hadn't completely understood what he meant. _

"Your strength is more insidious Caroline," he explained.

_Taking a breath, he debated quickly whether or not he should continue. _

"I've realized that killing or hurting you won't destroy my feelings for you," he admitted, feeling a combination of relief and regret almost instantly.

_He fought the coward within him and searched her face for a response. _

_She wasn't crying any longer. She hadn't been ever since his first step into vulnerability. Completely emasculating himself is what it took to make her feel better, he mused. _

_Studying her more intently, he thought he could see a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. _

"Feelings for me?" she asked with curiosity, anticipation, and fake naivety, as she shuffled closer to him.

_He glared disapprovingly at her question, hoping she would take the hint that he did not wish to go into any further detail about his "feelings" tonight. Admitting to her that they existed in the first place was enough of a feat for him. _

_Both of them stood there for a few extended and agonizing moments in silence, cautiously considering what they should say next; wondering what the other would say next. _

_The silence was killed by her soft giggle that he appreciated so much. _

_He gave her a questioning look, curious as to what provoked her unexpected laugh. _

"You're not very good at taking your own advice, you know," she said quietly.

_Knowing it was impossible, he still tried to scan his memory for every piece of advice he may have imparted on her to determine what she was referring to. _

"What advice would that be, sweetheart?" he asked.

_Biting her lip, she looked uncertain and insecure now, likely reconsidering her decision to head down this topic of conversation. _

_She sighed deeply, as if to reassure herself. _

"You told me at the bar that night to do things that scare me..." she reminded him apprehensively.

_Her reminder sent a chill down his spine as he considered that night, as well as the implications of what she had just said. He had urged her to do things that scare her in an effort to break her out of her human shell. He hadn't expected how she would apply that advice. That night at the bar she had kissed him more intensely and deeply than he had ever been kissed, even though her lips barely touched his own. That kiss had led them through a series of events that brought them here. He appreciated the symmetry, but wondered what her intentions were in bringing up his advice again. Was her comment merely an observation, or did she want him to apply his advice much like she had? _

_He was going to take a chance. _

_His nerves and excitement had prompted his vampire speed, and he propelled towards her quickly, stopping just shy of her. _

"Is that a challenge?" he asked boldly but hesitantly, as he looked down into her eyes for an answer.

**A/N: OoOoooOooO what's going to happen next? I didn't mean to cut it off just as things were getting juicy, but this chapter took me awhile to write and I wanted to give you all an update to tie you over. I don't expect that the next chapter will be as long as this, so expect another update soon! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I need to thank all who reviewed my last chapter. Thank you so much for reading and motivating me. I really do appreciate it. **

**Here's the conclusion to the other chapter you have all probably been waiting impatiently for. I hope it lives up to your expectations. I am always curious to know what you think. ****I was using songs for inspiration again if you're interested. For the first three-quarters it was "Accidental Babies" by Damien Rice. The last portion was "Degausser" by Brand New. **

**Ignore any spelling or grammatical errors. I did a super quick edit this time because I didn't want to keep you waiting another day! **

**Also, be warned that this chapter contains plenty of adult content.**

**Enjoy :D**

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"Is that a challenge?" he asked boldly but hesitantly, as he looked down into her eyes for an answer.

_Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, and he could see goose bumps begin to pop on her arms. _

_She parted her lips to provide him with answer, but his impatience would not allow her a response. _

_He crashed his lips against hers; savouring the contact he never thought he'd have the chance to experience again with her. _

_The palms of his hands framed her face, as if to hold her in place, scared that she would come to her senses and refuse him again. _

_Her own hands came to rest insecurely against his chest, and then on his shoulders. _

_She broke the kiss and he let her go, realizing that he had came on too strong. _

_They separated and stood inches apart from one another. _

_Both of them were gasping for air as they searched each other for any sign of where to go next. _

_He opted to give her time to make the next move. He had followed his recycled advice she had given him. Now it was up to her to decide whether or not she wanted to take things further, although he desperately hoped she did. _

_Excitement and relief rushed through his body when she stepped forward, closer to him. He could almost feel the energy between their bodies pulling them back together. _

_She was staring at his shirt fixedly, avoiding eye contact, as if too nervous to look at him. _

_When her eyes did finally come back to his, he felt overwhelmed by her. A single look from her had him reeling. _

_Mirroring his earlier move, she rested her hands against the stubble of his cheeks. _

_He welcomed the touch as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Leaning his face into her hand, he kissed the skin of her palm. _

_As he did, she stood on her toes to bring herself up to his level. _

_Slowly, she closed the gap between them and kissed his bottom lip lightly. She repeated the action several times, before allowing him to reciprocate. _

_They took turns leading this dance, exchanging shy kisses between one another as they both became reacquainted and comfortable with one another again. _

_Gradually, the intensity of their kisses began to build as their lust for one another grew stronger. _

_His mind was becoming cloudier by the second. He could barely recall their conflict or any of his hesitations at this point. The only thing he knew for certain was how badly he wanted this girl in every way imaginable. _

_Her tongue slid against his lips demanding entrance. _

_He granted it to her, parting his lips to allow her tongue access to his own. _

_When her hands laced themselves through his hair, he couldn't help but give a low groan of appreciation. _

_His own hands were busy exploring the slender frame of her waist. _

_They kissed and fondled each other like that for some time; much longer than he was used to. _

_He didn't mind, he could kiss her and touch her like that for hours. She was an exceptional kisser. _

_He enjoyed the feel of her lips against his and the way her body melted into his hands perfectly. _

_The teasing was driving him insane, but that was half the fun. _

_Knowing that she wasn't about to back out now, he confidently ran his hands up over her covered breasts to confirm his suspicion that she was indeed braless underneath her tank top; she was. The discovery caused his growing cock to twitch in the most pleasurable way within the confines of his jeans. _

_Her nipples puckered and hardened through the material instantly with the touch of his hands and she moaned into his mouth signalling her approval. _

_When she began to tug at his jacket, he knew she was growing impatient. Truth be told, he was too. He was longing to feel her bare skin against his own. He wanted to feel himself inside of her once more. The scent of her arousal alone was enough to send him over the edge. _

_Dropping his hands away from her torso, he allowed her to pull his jacket off as they continued to kiss hungrily. _

_Once his jacket was off, he stepped back to remove his shirt and slip out of his shoes and socks, all of which ended up in their own random piles on the floor. _

_Her eyes were shamelessly glued to his exposed torso, and he smirked at her inability to be any less obvious. _

_He pushed himself towards her speedily, eagerly kissing at the flesh of her neck, while she ventured her hands over his freshly revealed back and chest. _

"So are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about, love?" he asked against her jaw bone.

_Her body immediately went frigid, and as he looked up at her, he could see her face redden. _

"I don't kiss and tell," she smirked.

_He frowned playfully before nibbling her earlobe with his lips. _

"Come on," he urged her as he snaked a hand underneath the fabric of her shirt.

_He expected that she would need more cajoling, so he was surprised when she finally decided to play along. _

"Everyone was eating dinner at the Salvatores'; I was sitting in between you and Tyler," she recalled.

_Okay, maybe he didn't want to know. _

"Your hand was on me underneath the table," she breathed. "You were teasing me."

_His ears perked up as he returned his lips to her jaw bone. _

"I left for the kitchen to do dishes...you followed me," she said in almost a whisper.

_He smirked against her skin, liking the way this dream was heading. _

"And then what happened?" he asked in between the kisses he was planting along her collar bone.

_She sighed in response to the crawling movement of his hand up her front. _

"I was against the counter...you were behind me..."

_Before she could continue, he shifted their position so that he was really behind her now. _

"Like this?" he whispered over her shoulder.

_She nodded. _

"Yeah...but"

- "but what?" he asked.

"You were touching me..." she stammered apprehensively.

"How?" he asked, pushing her for detail.

_He wanted her to show him. He wanted to hear the dirty words escape her lips. _

"Your hand was under my blouse, against my breast," she answered shyly.

_He responded by finally moving his hand over the swell of her breast under her shirt. _

_She whimpered, revelling in the sensation, allowing her body to completely relax against his. _

_Surely she could feel his aching erection pressed into her backside. _

_He was caught off guard when she grabbed his other free hand. _

"Your other hand was here," she said, before boldly guiding his hand down underneath the elastic band of her gray pyjama pants.

_He swallowed hard in anxious anticipation. For a moment, he almost felt like an inexperienced teenage boy. _

_She wasn't wearing any panties. _

"Mmm..." she said as she pressed his hand against her sex.

_He almost groaned himself when his fingers came into contact with the moist folds of flesh between her legs. _

_Her hips bucked into his hand as he stroked his fingers over her most sensitive button. _

_His lips continued to kiss and suck at her neck while his hands occupied themselves under her shirt and between her legs. _

_Her entire body was tense, her eyes were clenched shut, and she was struggling to hold herself up and stand still as he continued to pleasure her. _

"Tyler caught us...just before...I could..." she explained in between laboured breaths, "...cum," she cried in conclusion as her body began to unravel with her orgasm.

_He could feel her womanhood contracting against his fingers. _

_She had cum in minutes. He had made her cum in minutes. He hadn't expected that to happen. Regardless, his ego was elated. _

_At this point he was painfully hard for her. He needed relief. _

_Removing both of his hands from the most intimate parts of her body, he spun her back around kissing her fervidly._

"I need you," he growled, knowing in the back of his mind that those words had been the most emotionally revealing of the night, despite their present sexual connotation.

_She responded to his admission by curling her fingers around the button of his pants and tugging them down to free his manhood. _

_As she kissed his neck, her hands lightly pushed against his chest, turning him slightly so that he was flush against her bed. _

"Sit," she told him.

_He could feel himself grow nervous as she took control. He had already surrendered enough power to her tonight. However, he wasn't exactly thinking with his head at the moment. Her assertiveness excited him. _

_Stepping out of his pants, he complied with her request and sat down. _

_She stood there for a moment in front of him, and he could tell that she too was apprehensive about her new found power._

_Keeping her eyes locked on his, she slowly pulled her tank top off, revealing to him the perfect breasts he had been caressing only moments ago. _

_He admired her torso and the way her golden blonde tresses fell along her face, hoping he was being obvious enough to dispel any insecurity she may have felt. _

_Next, her hands pushed the material of her pants over the curve of her hips before allowing them to drop to her ankles. _

_The sight of her undressing in front of him had to be one of the most erotic things he had seen in his centuries of life. _

_She stepped out of her pants with ease and moved towards him so that her legs were practically touching his. _

_Instinctively, he reached out, gliding his hand up the length of her leg, appreciating the soft skin. _

_He looked up at her with want, and he was pleased to find her mirroring his expression. _

_As he pushed himself further back on the bed, she followed him, climbing onto the bed and then positioning herself over his lap__._

_He inhaled deeply, preparing himself for what he knew she was about to do. _

_She held herself above him with his shoulders as she adjusted her legs around his waist before lowering her hips down, taking him completely inside of her. _

_The combination of the sight and feeling of it was too amazing to describe. He groaned loudly and clenched her hips as she gave a contented sigh astride him._

_He cupped the curve of her bottom, not only for his enjoyment, but to assist her movements. _

_She kissed him again before he even had a chance to. _

_As they kissed breathlessly, he realized this had become their sexual position of choice. Although he enjoyed quite a variety, this had become his favourite with her. There was something about the sight of her taking him inside of her above him that he found so lascivious and sensuous. Perhaps it had to do with the lack of control, maybe it was the way her breasts bounced to the rhythm of her movements, or the way her hair fell around her face and chest...he guessed it was a little of everything. _

_His lips painted her skin with kisses while she continued to grind her hips into his. _

_Lifting his head from her neck, he paused to admire her. _

_Her head was tipped back, her eyes were closed, and her mouth was agape. She looked stunning at the height of pleasure. He had the urge to paint her like this. _

_When he felt himself becoming lost in the sight and feeling of her consuming him, he decided it was time for a change. _

_He needed to reassert himself; he wanted her submissive for a change. _

_Signalling to her his intent by tightening his grasp around her waist, she responded by clenching her legs around his torso. _

_He moved the both of them effortlessly, standing up only to return to the comfort of the bed once more, this time with her beneath him. _

_The missionary position was severely underrated he thought as he delighted at the sight of her below him. _

_He spread her legs apart and readied himself between her. _

_Her eyes fluttered open connecting to his automatically. _

_His eyes remained glued to hers as he eased inside of her cravingly._

_She sighed appreciatively as he filled her completely. _

_As she whimpered against his neck, and raked her knife-like fingernails down his back, he couldn't help but want to devour her. _

_He continued to thrust inside of her frenziedly, completely hypnotized by the feeling. _

_When it became too much he kissed her lustfully in an effort to distract himself. He would not grant himself release until she found hers one more time. _

_Luckily for him she was not too far off. In anticipation of her impending climax, her body tensed against his once more. _

"Harder Klaus," she demanded longingly.

_The sound of his name rolling off her tongue was delicious. He acquiesced and slammed into her enthusiastically. _

"Yeah," she purred into his ear. "Mmm, fuck," she hissed.

_The sound of her cussing in this moment had driven him to the point of no return. _

"I'm cumming," she cried delightfully.

_The sight of her writhing beneath him and the feel of her womanhood constricting around him from her orgasm triggered his own euphoric release closely in time with hers. _

_The feeling of his orgasm consumed him and he grunted loudly, unable to contain himself. _

_He held himself inside her for a few prolonged moments to feel the tiny remaining ripples of her orgasm and savour the warmth of her around him. _

_Following that, he collapsed onto the bed beside her, his head against her chest, as he struggled to catch his breath. _

_She was murmuring contentedly to herself with one hand above her head and the other curled around the locks of his hair. _

_His own hand was busy drifting up her leg and onto her stomach. _

_He lied there like that for awhile, hoping she wouldn't protest, although he knew he would have to leave soon for Stefan's._

_The steadiness of her breathing was soothing, and he listened intently. _

_He soon realized that she was what had been missing earlier; she was what he was forgetting. _

_He had to have her. He had to ask her again, confident that this time he could garner himself a favourable answer. _

_Rising from the bed, he climbed back over top of her. _

_She lay there seemingly lifeless below him with her eyes shut. _

_He thought she may have fallen asleep, but he soon felt her legs spread apart to welcome him once more, and he could see a small smirk playing on her lips. _

_Taking his time, he allowed his lips the opportunity to explore her stomach and then her breasts. _

_She whined softly under her breath, awakening once more to his touch. _

_He soon reached her left earlobe with his mouth. _

_It was now or never. _

"Come with me," he whispered.

_She giggled in response as her fingertips began to draw circles on his back. _

"I think we already did that once tonight," she answered.

_He smiled into her hair. _

"No...when I leave Mystic Falls," he clarified, lifting his head above her to look down at her reaction. "Come with me."

_Her eyes shot open, and for a second he thought he could see them sparkle at the prospect of his suggestion, but that quickly faded. _

_She was hesitating and his breathing quickened accordingly. _

_He nudged her cheek with his nose and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. _

"What's holding you back?" he wondered. "Tyler?" he asked, anticipating an answer he didn't want to hear.

"Sort of," she whispered cryptically.

_He hated playing guessing games, but he decided to humour her until he found the complete answer. _

"If this is about finishing school, I told you I'd wait," he reassured her, hoping it was as simple as that.

_It never was, and he knew that instantly by looking at her conflicted expression. _

"If you're worried about leaving your friends and your mother we could stay close...stateside; New York, California, New Orleans," he listed, quickly realizing how pathetic he sounded trying to sell her on the idea.

_He was done. He was finished trying to guess what her reservations were. He was done with trying to convince her. _

_Leaning in to kiss her cheek and smell the fruity scent of her hair one last time, she finally decided to speak up. _

"Would Elena be coming?" she asked, the tone of her voice darkening.

_He lifted his head to look at her. He should have expected the question, but he was still surprised by it nonetheless. _

_She gazed up at him expectantly for an answer. _

_When he couldn't give her the answer she wanted to hear, he knew he had lost her interest. _

"She would," he finally admitted.

_Caroline turned away from him, her cheek resting against the pillow. _

"Right. Hybrids. How could I forget?" she scoffed quietly to herself. "You know I can't come with you," she said further shifting her gaze to meet his again.

_He closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. _

"It appears as though we've hit a fork in the road, love," he admitted.

"A completely avoidable one," she spoke bitterly, the hurt evident in her voice.

_He huffed in frustration and climbed off of the bed. _

_She sat up, covering herself with one of the blankets they had managed to push down to the end of her bed during their fleeting moments of passion, as she followed him with her eyes. _

_He began to dress, slipping on his pants and shirt in silence before searching for his socks and shoes. _

_As he slipped on his footwear, he could hear her muffled cries from behind him. _

"You've lived for centuries without hybrids, what's a few more?" she argued.

_He turned to her. _

"You don't understand," he said sternly.

"Of course I don't understand, because you won't let me," she cried.

_He tried hard to ignore her as he put his jacket on. _

"Are your siblings not good enough for you?" she asked. "Am I not good enough for you?" she added self-consciously.

_He winced in response to her questions. She sounded like his sister._

"You and Elena would be safe with me," he growled, turning on the defensive, ignoring her questions altogether.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean you should take Elena with you against her will," she replied. "I can't be a part of that," she refused as she wiped her eyes.

_He bit his tongue and choked back whatever hurtful comments he wanted to retaliate with. _

"Then I guess we're done here," he said plainly as he turned for her door.

_She resumed sobbing under her breath. _

_He wasn't going to look back. He didn't want to see her like this. _

"Klaus wait," she pleaded.

_He turned around hopeful that she had a change of heart, but he knew that was probably asking for too much. _

"You need to know..."

- "Need to know what?" he interrupted, agitated by the twist of events and eager to leave.

"When your brother Finn was killed, every vampire created in his bloodline died too..." she revealed.

"I know," he said flatly. "Stefan informed me."

"Damon and Elena are in Denver with Jeremy," she continued.

_He nodded. _

"I know that too. I spoke with my brother Kol," he responded.

_Although annoyed by the repetitive information she was feeding him, the fact that she was telling him this at all piqued his interest. _

_She didn't seem discouraged by the fact he had already been aware of all she had just said, signalling to him that she had more to say. _

"They aren't just there to pick him up," she finally said, getting to information that he was unaware of.

_He stepped back closer to the bed to listen to what she had to tell him. _

"Go on..." he urged.

"They're going to see if Jeremy can contact Rose...to find out who sired her," she explained. "If they find out that she wasn't sired by you...they'll do whatever it takes to kill you," she revealed.

_Knowing that it was Rose who sired Katherine, the picture became clear to him. If the Salvatores discovered that their survival no longer depended on his survival, they would do everything to kill him. _

_If he was dead, Tyler would be dead for certain. _

_He turned for the door once more, ready to escape this situation. _

_Just as he was about to walk out, he paused and turned slightly towards her. _

"Who are you trying to protect me or Tyler?" he asked bluntly.

_She frowned. _

"Does it matter?" she answered.

_And with that his vampire speed pushed him out onto her porch. _

_Repressing his inclination towards self-loathing and rage, he texted Kol with the latest information about Damon and Elena's trip to Denver. Mary Porter would have to be dealt with. _

_As he stepped out onto the walkway, the cool night breeze hit his face; so too did his sister's words. _

_"...as long as you're on your little hybrid mission with Elena, Caroline will never ever give you her heart."_

_She was right._

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**A/N: Some things I want to address...**

**- In terms of the Denver issue...in my fic I'm going to assume that Klaus already was aware of Jeremy's ability to contact the dead (perhaps he did find out on the show, I just don't remember, and I'm too lazy to research it).**

**- Also, there's a time difference between Denver and Mystic Falls, so that explains how Caroline was able to tell Klaus about Damon and Elena's plans, and then how Klaus was able to tell Kol, and then Kol was able to handle business.**

**- remember, I'm trying to keep this fic in line with the real show as much as possible, so that's why this chapter ended on a sour note. Recall that the next episode following this would be 3x20, the decade dance. I haven't started planning the next chapter, but it will likely deal with the events of that episode and integrate what I have created.**

**- Also, if any of you were thinking that there was too much smut in this chapter, my motto is go big or go home, lol. If you were thinking that perhaps it's too much for Caroline in a two day span, my defence is that the time with Tyler doesn't count...and as for the times with Klaus, who wouldn't want to have sex with him two times in two days? Hehe.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yes, yes, I know, this update is uncharacteristically late for me. I apologize. Working full-time, studying, and trying to maintain some sort of a semblance of a social life is not conducive to extensive and uninterrupted time to write. Ideally, I would like to update every week, but that may not happen all the time.**

**The delay with this chapter also has to do with the fact that it kind of re-tells events we already saw in TVD. I apologize if it's too repetitive in parts, but I tried to interweave my own dialogue into those parts as best I could. I hate simply repeating the dialogue of actual TVD episodes, but it's a necessary evil given that I'm trying to integrate my fic into events that have really taken place in the show. Please keep in mind that while the dialogue may be the same or similar in parts, that some actions/dialogue/expressions etc have been altered.**

**Anyways, I can't believe that this fic has over 100 reviews for only 8 chapters. That's so exciting! Thanks so much for everyone that has reviewed. I look forward to reading more from you all!**

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_Today had not been her day, she thought to herself as she unlocked her front door. _

_Nothing particularly terrible had happened so far, but it was the culmination of everything that was getting to her. _

_She stepped inside her quiet house and let out a long sigh as she approached the note on the hall table._

_Dropping her things to the floor, she picked up the note. _

_It was from her mother. _

_'Spaghetti in the fridge. Have fun at the dance tonight. - Mom' _

_She smiled at the note, appreciating that her mother still left her food even though she no longer needed it to survive. _

_Of course, her mother was working another night shift. _

_Usually she didn't mind having the house to herself at night, but for some reason, she wasn't looking forward to the prospect of coming home to an empty house later tonight. Even though she couldn't really explain to her mother what she was going through, she would have drawn comfort from the fact that she was at least close by. _

_She hadn't seen her mother for a few days. She had left this morning with Elena to help with the final preparations for the dance and shop for last minute outfits, and by that time, her mother was asleep, resting for another night's shift. _

_Yawning, she headed for the bathroom, hoping a shower would rouse her from her sluggish mood. _

_She was second guessing her attendance at the dance, thinking a nap would be preferable as she began to undress. _

_Sleep did not come to her until she had heard her mother arrive home at about four this morning. She had tossed and turned until then._

_The dance seemed more and more unappealing as she thought about it. _

_It was supposed to be a care-free evening. Bonnie, Elena, and her were supposed to have been 'girl-dates'. _

_That plan quickly changed once Bonnie decided to take Jamie...and she had selflessly encouraged Elena to ask Stefan to accompany her. _

_As a result, she would be going alone. Although she knew she would meet up with other friends, including Matt__,__ once she arrived, the thought of going alone was unsettling. _

_She and Tyler were not on the best of terms; she hadn't spoken with him since last night. Matt had already texted her and said that Tyler probably wouldn__'t show, in part because of her, in part because of Klaus__. _

_The prospect of Klaus making an appearance made her stomach tie itself into knots in the worst and best of ways. _

_In addition to all of that, the nineteen twenties weren't even her preference for the decade dance. _

_She cringed when she realized that she would have Rebekah to contend with at the dance as well. Any possibility of socializing with Matt while Bonnie and Elena snuggled up to their respective men was out of the question. Rebekah would be all over him. _

_Stepping into the shower, she revelled in the feel of the soothing hot water against her skin. _

_The weight of everything on her shoulders was almost literally pushing her down. _

_Tyler, Klaus, Elena, the stress of the dance...it was all coming together to produce one massive metaphorical rock on her back. For some reason too, her father's absence had been hitting her pretty hard today. Perhaps that's why she missed her mother. _

_Trying desperately to keep her mind occupied on problems other than her own, she thought about Elena's romantic life. _

_She never expected that Elena would ever have the guts to act on her feelings for Damon. So, when Elena informed her of the events that took place in Denver, she was surprised. In some ways she was disappointed in her friend, in others, she was envious. _

_Damon had brutally manipulated her in the beginning, and had treated Elena similarly. In this way, she had always been biased in favour of Elena with Stefan. Stefan was her epic love. More than that, Elena was playing a dangerous game by stringing both of them along while she weighed her options. It wasn't fair to either Salvatore. After Elena eventually made her choice, Damon and Stefan's relationship would never be the same. _

_At the same time, she was jealous that Elena could even openly discuss these relationships and her emotions with anyone. She did not have that luxury with Tyler and Klaus. Sure, she had told Elena about Tyler's reaction to her "manipulating" Klaus while he was away, but that was nothing. That went nowhere close to the reality of her problems. Beyond that, Elena actually had a choice; she didn't. As it was, Klaus was not a viable option. That was settled last night. _

_She scolded herself for even entertaining the possibility. _

_Shaking the thoughts of him from her mind, she finished with her shower. _

_She couldn't start crying again, it was all she could do to get the swelling around her eyes to go down earlier from last night's emotional episode. _

_The last thing she wanted was poufy eyes at the dance. _

_Climbing out of the shower, she reached for her bathrobe and fixed it securely around her damp skin. _

_She dried her hair, and then considered indulging in some of that spaghetti her mom had mentioned in her note. However, her appetite was low, even for blood. _

_Besides, time was growing late. She needed to start getting ready for the dance if she was going to be there on time. _

_She paused at the doorway to her room as she peered inside. _

_Her bed was unmade from last night, and the pyjamas she had worn to bed were still strewn across the floor; where she had undressed in front of him. _

_She closed her eyes and briefly allowed all the mixed emotions she had been trying to suppress to come flooding back to her. _

_He had been the last person she expected to find standing in her room. _

_She had tried hard to fight him. She had tried hard to convince him that she was furious over his failed attempt to kill Matt. She had been furious with him, but not over Matt. She was angry at him for getting under her skin; she was angry at herself for allowing it to happen. _

_She had fought her feelings hard, but at some point during his inquisition about Tyler, she had given up. _

_She stopped fighting and she gave in. _

_All her feelings for him she had basically admitted all of them; admitted that he had affected how she felt about Tyler. _

_He in turn had admitted his real intentions behind his attempt to kill Matt; he had hinted at his own feelings for her. _

_And like a fool, she encouraged him; she challenged him and he readily accepted. _

_He had kissed her so lustfully; so hungrily. She had never experienced that kind of passion in her life. She quivered at the thought and allowed her mind to dwell upon where that passionate kiss had led them and their bodies. In those moments everything else was forgotten. They could be who they wanted to be without guilt or hesitation. They were free. _

_At least until he had asked her once more to come with him. Reality had instantly returned. _

_How could he ask her something like that and expect her to say yes? _

_With everything that had happened, there was no way she could say yes, no matter how much she might have wanted to. _

_She realized then that they would never work. It would be impossible. How could she expect to be loyal to him and her friends at the same time? _

_She couldn't, so long as their goals were in complete contradiction. _

_Her friends came first, and by associating with Klaus she was already proving her disloyalty. _

_Elena had been so disappointed upon her return from Denver. She and Damon had been so close to determining whose bloodline Stefan, Damon...and well, she belonged to. Klaus's brother Kol had intervened and killed their answer before they could get to her. How could that happen? Elena had wondered to her earlier today. Klaus knew about the bloodline rule, he knew Elena and Damon had been in Denver, but how did the original siblings know about their search for Mary Porter? Elena had chalked it up to Klaus's uncanny ability to always be one step ahead. However, he had only been one step ahead this time because of her. Before he left her room she told him of Damon and Elena's intentions. She betrayed Elena. She ruined a possible chance for them to defeat Klaus. If Mary Porter had been sired by another one of the originals, they would have been free to kill Klaus. _

_Klaus's question had been plaguing her since he had asked her. Who was she trying to protect? If Klaus died so did Tyler, but was Tyler who she was trying to save? _

_Surely there had to be another way to stop Klaus without killing him? _

_Why did she even care if he lived or died? He had made it abundantly clear to her that the doppelganger would always come first. There was no chance for them anyways. _

_For a while she had begun to believe that she was his weakness; that she would eventually be forced to reveal this tiny detail to her friends to use against him. That was untrue. He had given her up so readily in favour of the doppelganger. His primary weakness would always be the doppelganger. _

_She found herself scowling at the thought. _

_It didn't matter now anyways. Whatever they had been to each other, they no longer were. _

_Either he would win or they would. Regardless, her time with him would eventually be shoved to the back of her mind; passed off as a temporary lapse in judgement; nothing more; even if it hurt her somewhat to think like that now._

_She had to move on. _

_Klaus was no longer her concern. What concerned her now was whether or not she wanted to move on with Tyler. _

_Could she move on with Tyler after Klaus? Was he what she wanted? Could her she ever recapture her old feelings for Tyler? _

_She decided not to push things. Only time could determine the answers to her questions. Time was something she had a lot of. _

_Making a concerted effort to concentrate her thoughts on getting ready, she grabbed her shopping bag from the hallway that held the dress she purchased earlier at some retro shop downtown._

_She laid the dress out across her messy bed and left again for the bathroom to do her hair and makeup. _

_Being the perfectionist she was it took her over an hour to get her hair and makeup just right. _

_The effort was really pointless anyways; there would be no one at the dance to impress. _

_She dressed hurriedly into her outfit, and grabbed a few sips of blood from a half-consumed blood-bag she had in the freezer before driving herself to the dance. _

_When she arrived the school parking lot was nearly at capacity. She was late. The dance had started almost an hour ago. _

_The gym was buzzing with music and excitement as she entered self-consciously. _

_Scanning the room for familiar faces, she noticed Bonnie and Jamie dancing happily. _

_She walked by them intentionally, not wanting to disturb them; not wanting to ruin their moment with her more morose mood. _

_The drink table seemed like a good way to keep occupied as she looked out for anyone else she knew. _

_Fortunately, Matt was there restocking the ice supply. _

_Surprisingly, Rebekah was nowhere to be found. _

"Have I told you how amazingly awesome you are?" she asked as she approached him.

_It was true. Not only had he been a huge help with the dance, but he had helped her try to fix things between her and Tyler. Not many people had ex-boyfriends who would do that. _

_He smirked at her. _

"Yeah, I'm one of the good ones, I know... Why the compliments, what else do you want?" he answered jovially.

_She decided now was as good a time as any to bring up Elena. Elena had mentioned to her earlier that Matt had got Jeremy back his old job at the Grill and that made her nervous. She didn't want Matt to get the wrong idea. Elena was quite obviously torn between two guys, but Matt was not one of them._

"I know that you and Elena have been getting closer lately..." she said.

"And your point is?" he interrupted her before she could explain.

"One way or the other she's pretty much spoken for," she reminded him.

_He shrugged. _

"Elena is my friend, Caroline. I'm just looking out for her," he assured her.

"And I'm just looking out for you. Because sometimes the people who love her get caught in the crossfire," she clarified.

_Had she already been caught in the crossfire? She wondered. _

"So where's Rebekah? This was supposed to be her shining moment," she asked as she rolled her eyes.

_Matt shook his head. _

"I have no idea. I texted her and asked her if she wanted a ride, but she told me she would meet me here," he informed her.

_Hmm, it was unlike Rebekah to refuse a ride from Matt. It was unlike her to miss the dance. Her heart leapt and ached at the same time. She considered the possibility that Klaus would be accompanying his sister to the dance. She also considered the possibility that Klaus and Rebekah were busy making preparations for their departure. _

"What's he doing here?" Matt asked suddenly, snapping her from her thoughts.

_She looked in the direction of Matt's gaze, wondering who he could be referring to; wondering if Klaus had indeed decided to make an appearance. _

_Surprise hit her when she saw Tyler strolling confidently into the gym dressed in a black suit and matching hat. _

"I thought you said he wasn't going to come tonight?" Caroline asked Matt, as both of them continued to eye Tyler.

_Matt nodded. _

"He said he was too pissed off...and he didn't want to risk Klaus knowing he was back in town," Matt repeated. "I guess he changed his mind."

_Caroline huffed in annoyance as she stalked towards Tyler. _

"Are you crazy? If Klaus sees you..." she scolded him.

_Klaus did already know Tyler was back in Mystic Falls, but she wasn't keen on him having an opportunity to test Tyler's sire bond to him tonight. _

Tyler shrugged off her warning with a cocky grin.

"What's he gonna do? Draw you another picture?" he asked her sarcastically.

_She scoffed. _

"Tyler, this isn't a joke!"

"I can pretend I'm sired if I have to. But I'm not gonna hide while he's macking all over you," Tyler reasoned.

"Tyler, you do not need to be jealous of Klaus," she tried to reassure him.

_He held her face in his hands to hold her attention. _

"Look, I'm sorry," he admitted before catching her off guard with a quick kiss. "I was stupid last night. I overreacted. I shouldn't have doubted you. I know you're just trying to protect me..." he apologized. "I'm still jealous though," he revealed. "But I'm also competitive. So hang on, I'm about to sweep you off your feet," he warned playfully before picking her up.

_She shrieked almost happily as he spun her around in his arms before letting her feet return to the floor. _

_The whole scenario was very bittersweet for her. _

_Tyler had appeared to have forgiven her. Something she would have eaten up like blood had they been in a similar situation before he left. _

_This was the beginning of her second chance with him, she knew. But a part of her felt completely indifferent. Deep down underneath her efforts to convince herself otherwise, the excitement wasn't there. _

_Despite that fact, she brushed it off. Time, she reminded herself. _

_She poured her heart out on the dance floor, hoping the upbeat dancing would put her in better spirits. _

_Noticing Stefan and Elena arrive to the dance helped. She smiled and waved at them as they walked by to take a place on the dance floor. Both she and Elena exchanged knowing glances as they acknowledged the presence of their respective dance partners. _

_She knew Elena would be texting her later for the details behind Tyler's impromptu appearance at the dance. She would be texting Elena for the details of her date with Stefan. _

_When a slow song began to sound over the speakers, she tensed and glanced at Tyler with uncertainty. Before he even noticed her unsure expression, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She conformed and draped her arms around his neck accordingly. Tyler loathed slow dancing. Admittedly, he wasn't the best at it. Nonetheless his effort both flattered her and made her feel guilty. _

"So do you forgive me?" he asked as he pressed his cheek against hers.

_Really, it should have been her seeking his apology. He had really done nothing wrong. _

"I do," she whispered.

_He pulled back to look at her bemusedly. _

"That's it? I'm forgiven? You're not going to freak out or try to guilt trip me?" he asked surprised.

_Had this been a normal fight under normal circumstances, she probably would have, but she couldn't. It would just make her feel worse. _

_She shook her head. _

"No. We had a misunderstanding last night, Tyler. I don't want to fight anymore," she said honestly.

_He grinned and kissed her softly. _

"Yeah I was a dick last night. It took Matt telling me as much to make me realize it. He said I was an idiot for not trusting you and for walking out," he told her.

_As much as his words made her uncomfortable, she had to play along. She had to pretend that she was normal Caroline. _

"Matt was right," she replied with a smirk.

_He nodded. _

"I know, I know," he laughed. "I don't know what came over me when I saw that drawing Klaus drew of you. The thought of him even trying to get close to you makes me angry," Tyler confessed.

_Luckily for her she was wearing gloves with her dress. Her palms were sweating. _

"Klaus has taken so much from me. I can't imagine him taking my girl from me too," he added.

_She bit the inside of her cheek to stop the tears from coming; to stop her from confessing everything to him in this moment. _

_Brushing his fears off, she tried her best at a warm smile. _

"He's not going to take me," she told him shakily.

_He already has, a voice resembling her conscience muttered in a disapproving tone to her. _

_She pulled Tyler back closer to her as a new slow song began, resting her head on his shoulder so she wouldn't have to be confronted face to face with her guilt any longer. _

_Time, she reminded herself once more. Time would heal her heart. _

_They danced in silence to the soft haunted voice over the speakers until she felt Tyler's muscles harden and back straighten under her hands. _

_She lifted her head to look at him. _

"What is it?" she asked.

_It was a silly question to have asked. She should have known. _

_She turned to find Klaus staring at both of them intently. His eyes shouted rage and jealousy, but his demeanor was calm and collected. _

_He cleaned up well as usual. His hair was neatly gelled and he looked handsome as ever in a white suit. _

_Her heart sank a little before she grew anxious. _

_What would Klaus say? Would he tell Tyler that he already knew he was back in town? That she already knew that he knew Tyler was back in town? Would he publically list and detail all their intimate moments together in some sort of sick attempt at revenge for her refusing to leave with him? _

_She was about to find out. _

"Where've you been mate?" Klaus questioned Tyler casually.

_She steadied her breathing as she tried to find some relief in his innocent question. _

"I just got back in town," Tyler replied.

"That's funny, I don't recall giving you permission in the first place," Klaus noted. "You don't mind if I cut in, do you?" he asked; a mischievous glint in his eye.

_Her breathing hitched as she considered his question. Why the hell did he want to dance with her now? Things were done between them. Why was he torturing her? Was he simply doing this to torment Tyler? _

_The small part of her that was eagerly jumping at the chance to dance with him once more was buried by the part that resented him for hurting her and turning her life upside down. _

"Yes! Actually we do," she answered for Tyler bitterly.

_Klaus ignored her comment completely and glared at Tyler, clearly trying to work the sire bond to his advantage once more. _

"No, its fine," Tyler spoke, forcing himself to say the words.

_Her eyes narrowed at Klaus. _

"Why do you always have to prove you're the alpha male?" she demanded.

_Klaus shrugged nonchalantly. _

"I don't have to prove anything, love. I am the alpha male," he said boldly.

_His assertiveness made her shiver and her knees went weak. Her body was betraying her. He was the alpha male. _

"Come on, one dance. I won't bite," he assured her as he extended his hand.

_She cringed at his low blow attempt to enrage Tyler. _

"Unless you want me to of course," he smirked.

_She rolled her eyes and struggled to ignore the memories of him puncturing her skin with his fangs as her orgasm rippled through her body. _

_Looking back to Tyler for encouragement, she then reluctantly took Klaus's hand. _

_She should have just walked off and refused him, but she couldn't forget who she was dealing with. If she refused him, who knows how he would have reacted. _

_Again, she was thankful for her decision to wear gloves. The sweat in her palms would have given her aroused state away. _

_Klaus held her hand possessively as he led her out into the middle of the dance floor. _

_He took her into his arms effortlessly as he began to sway them to the music. _

"You look stunning," he complimented.

_Her heart fluttered. _

"Your costume is flawless; a genuine flapper," he mused.

_She was taken with his sweet words and his charming grin. _

_It was a struggle to remind herself of the events that had transpired last night. He had rejected her. Now he was dancing lightheartedly with her as if nothing had happened. _

_Looking over Klaus's shoulder, Tyler was staring daggers at them. _

"So I see you've made amends with Tyler; that was fast," Klaus observed with a sprinkle of jealousy decorating his words.

_She frowned. _

"It's none of your business," she replied defensively.

_He smirked against her hair. _

"You seem ambivalent about it," he told her.

_She glared at him as if to restate her last comment. _

"And you seem bothered by it," she retorted.

_His shoulders shrugged apathetically. _

"Admittedly, I still don't understand what you see in him...and the thought of you with him leaves a taste of bile in my mouth. I expected it really, though. You've clearly not given up with your efforts to fool yourself," he said. "Alas, there's nothing more I can do. You've made your choice," he said plainly, as if it was that simple.

_Her face contorted into an unimpressed and angry stare as he tipped her back slowly. _

"I had no choice," she responded bitterly.

_He brought her back up, their eyes still connected. _

_Laughing, he briefly looked away before meeting her gaze once more. _

"Well that's a matter of opinion, sweetheart," he told her.

_Her heart sunk further as the cold and detached part of his personality dominated._

"So if you're not here to change my mind, then why are you here?" she asked pointedly, hoping her own detached tone would be met with his distaste.

_The curiosity and suspense was killing her. If he wasn't here to rehash their conversation from the previous evening, then what was he up to? _

"You're nervous," he noted with an amused grin as he leaned in closer to her so that his lips were inches away from her ear.

"Afraid that I'm here to inform Tyler of our activities while he was away? Or maybe you're worried that I'm here to tell Elena about how you helped sabotage her trip to Denver..." Klaus breathed.

_Anxious goose bumps rose instantly on her skin and her stomach began to lurch. _

_Their current dance position put her in direct view of Tyler on the sidelines. _

"I wonder how Tyler would react if I told him how delicious you sounded begging for me to fuck you?" he whispered.

_Chills of fear and sexual arousal raced down her back. _

_She pulled away from Klaus to gauge his expression and to convey her complete disapproval. _

_He chuckled at her reaction. _

"Relax, love," he urged. "I'm only joking," he revealed.

_Her muscles followed his instructions instantly. She was relieved, but frustrated at him for toying with her like that. _

"I don't kiss and tell," he explained, mirroring purposely her words from the night previous. "Not everything revolves around you..." he added, repeating more of her words.

_She gave him a questioning glare. _

"Rebekah wanted me to attend. Strangely, there's no sign of her anywhere," he noted.

_She shrugged. She had not seen Rebekah either. _

"Well if she doesn't end up showing, tell her missing out on the dance she helped coordinate does not get her out of clean-up duty tomorrow. She's supposed to help me," she explained seriously.

_Klaus laughed at her. _

_Her furrowed brows relaxed into a curious and confused expression. _

"What?" she asked annoyed.

_He shook his head. _

"Your fiery attitude. I enjoy it. You and Rebekah are a lot alike. I suspect had she not been my sister you two would have gotten on rather well," he suggested.

_She cringed inwardly at the prospect of trying to be Rebekah's friend. That was one feat she didn't want to attempt. Outwardly she conveyed her amusement with the idea. _

"You'll have to forgive my sister and her persistence with respect to the theme of the dance. The last time she was out of her coffin it was the nineteen-twenties. Nostalgia got the better of her," he told her.

_It was really the first time she considered Rebekah's situation and what a leap it must have been for her re-enter the world ninety years after she had left it. She almost felt for Rebekah. Recalling that it was Klaus who had daggered his sister in the first place did nothing to quell her hostile feelings towards him. _

"You would've loved the 1920's, Caroline. The girls were reckless, sexy, fun. They literally used to dance until they dropped," Klaus recalled.

_She scoffed. _

"I don't suppose that ever happened to their dance partners..." she commented sarcastically.

_Klaus's expression quickly turned sour and his grip on her tightened. _

"You should be nicer to me. I'm leaving town tomorrow," he informed her.

_That news came as a shock to her despite the fact that she knew there was nothing at this point holding him back. All he needed was Elena. Apparently he planned to get her in time to leave tomorrow. That was something she would have to inform her friend of once free from this awkward position. _

_His intent to leave tomorrow sunk in rapidly and she could feel the unwarranted disappointment begin to hit her. _

_She was also frustrated. His motives for attending the dance, although not directly declared, were becoming clear to her. _

"So that's why you came here tonight..." she said under her breath."You wanted to say good-bye," she sighed, and she felt her throat began to swell with emotion. "You wanted to rub it in...make me second-guess myself...make this harder than it already is. You can't accept my decision," she said through a partly clenched jaw.

_Despite her watery eyes, she fought the tears successfully. _

"I came here for my baby sister. You had nothing to do with it," he said defensively.

"Then why did you ask me to dance?" she countered.

"Why did you acquiesce?" he shot back, ignoring her question completely.

_Both of them huffed out of growing antagonism towards one another. _

"I accept your choice," he argued. "I invited you to come with me and you refused. We both know you're not ready to accept my offer," he acknowledged. "Perhaps one day, in a century from now once Elena's life has run its course, you'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer," he contemplated.

_The prospect of that happening intrigued her slightly. However, she doubted very much that he would wait for her, and she also doubted, at this point, that she would ever show up at his door in need of him like that. _

_She scoffed again, trying hard to keep a stone-like demeanor; trying hard not to let him know that he still had an effect on her despite the anger she felt towards him. _

_Her reaction did not please him. _

_He stepped back from their dancing embrace and eyed her seriously with a dark stare. _

"You mark my words; a small town boy, a small town life, it won't be enough for you," he warned.

_She paused to consider his warning. He had a point. Would it be enough for her? _

_Brushing her doubts to the side, she reacted with the same resistance. _

"And I suppose you think you would be?" she retorted with an arched brow.

_He sighed. _

_Looking penetratingly into her eyes, he answered her_.

"I could give you everything you've ever dreamed of," he proclaimed boldly; almost hopefully.

_His words haunted her. Did she know the answer to the question? Could he really give her everything?_

She was on her toes tonight and her thoughts quickly shot back to their intimate and drunken conversation at the Grill. They had discussed a range of subjects. He had told her that traditional human desires became less important as you focused on the benefits of being a vampire; love was no exception.

_Either he was lying or she was the exception. All the desires she had as a human still remained within her as a vampire; perhaps they were heightened even now that they were out of reach. Love was no exception. She wanted it more than anything in the world; to love and be loved. Whether she was a human or a vampire was beside the point; either life would be mediocre without love__._

_Whatever feelings she may have had for the hybrid in front of her were never worth pursuing or even considering if he couldn't give her what she ultimately wanted. _

_Risking all of her relationships for something so uncertain frightened her. That was basically what he had asked her to do; give up everything for something that had never been assured to her; him. She couldn't do it. _

_She finally decided to ask him the million dollar question, curious to know how he would reply. _

"Even love?" she challenged.

_Immediately she knew he had made the connection between her question and their conversation at the Grill. _

_He appeared dumfounded and caught off guard as he glanced around the gym anxiously, struggling to find an answer for her._

_Returning to her curious eyes, he scoffed and laughed nervously at her question. _

_Before he could muster a response, they were interrupted by someone shouting her name over the music. _

_She examined the crowd, looking in the direction of the noise, to see Matt across the gym navigating his way through groups of people as he approached her. _

_When she turned back to Klaus, he was gone. _

_Her face dropped. _

"Care!" Matt shouted again, getting closer to her.

_She looked in Matt's direction once more. He looked panicked as he reached her. _

_Tyler startled her as he rushed up behind her to meet them. _

_Had Tyler been watching her and Klaus dance the entire time? She hadn't been paying attention. _

"Matt...what is it?" she asked him sort of bewildered.

"Esther has Elena and Alaric. We don't know where they are. Esther did some spell; only humans can leave the school," Matt informed both her and Tyler almost breathlessly.

_Her body went numb and her mind began to jump to conclusions._

"What do you think she's up to?" Tyler wondered.

_Matt shrugged. _

"I don't really want to wait to find out," Matt answered.

_She glanced around the gym for anything suspicious or out of place, but all she could see were her peers enjoying themselves, completely ignorant to the danger that surrounded them. _

_Another dance was ruined for her and her friends. All she wanted was one normal night._

Staring at the entrance as students came and went, she sucked in a breath when she saw Klaus and Stefan re-enter the gym. Both of them looked concerned and annoyed.

_Although she was all the way across the room, Klaus's eyes still managed to find hers, as if he was able to sense her watching him. Having been caught in the act, her cheeks flushed. She tried to look away, but she couldn't. _

_She maintained subtle eye contact with him as he and Stefan headed for the classrooms. _

_His gaze had a reassurance about it and she found it calming, regardless of the fact that she knew his top concerns were his own survival and the preservation of the doppelganger. _

"What about Bonnie?" she proposed to Tyler and Matt, who hadn't noticed Stefan or Klaus across the gym.

"Bonnie is already working on a spell to try and counter Esther's," Matt explained.

"Well we should find out if she's made any progress," Tyler decided, turning for the gym exit to the classrooms.

_Matt nodded in agreement, but she hesitated. _

_Klaus was likely already there since he too was trapped in the school by the spell. The dynamic between her, Klaus, and Tyler had already been awkward enough earlier and she didn't need a reminder. _

_She was not a witch. There was nothing she could help Bonnie with at this point. _

"Tyler, why don't we wait here," she proposed.

_Both Tyler and Matt questioned her with their eyes. _

"Bonnie doesn't need us towering over her too. We might as well stay in the gym and keep an eye out in case anything suspicious happens here. At least until Bonnie can break Esther's spell..." she suggested.

"That's a good idea," Matt acknowledged.

_Tyler seemed unsure, but Matt's vote of confidence seemed to push him in favour. _

"Yeah, okay," Tyler agreed, stepping towards her, leaving Matt to go check in on Bonnie's progress.

_With their good moods deflated by Klaus's advances and the latest developments with Esther, she and Tyler sat quietly in the bleachers watching over the slowly shrinking crowd of their fellow students. _

_She tried to think of something witty to say to make him laugh, but her mind was a complete blank. _

_He was ruminating over Klaus and the implications of Esther's latest plan, she could tell. _

_She thought about asking him to join her for the last dance, but she decided against it. She didn't feel like dancing, and as it appeared, neither did he. She didn't want to make things worse. _

"He likes you, you know..." Tyler said plainly, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Wh..." she was about to ask who, but quickly stopped herself as Tyler glared at her.

"Klaus!" he said bitterly with an annoyed expression.

_She slumped over resting her face in her hands. _

"No he doesn't," she denied flatly.

_Tyler's eyes widened. _

"Uh, yeah, he does, I think it's pretty obvious," Tyler replied sarcastically. "First he draws you pictures, then he shows up at the dance for you and can't take his eyes off of you the entire time. It's fucking disgusting," Tyler balks.

_She snorted at his comments in part out of surprise by his observations, and shock at his blatant jealousy. _

"Perhaps he's just trying to use me," she proposed.

"For what?" Tyler answered.

_She shrugged. No answer came to her head, since she only suggested it as a means to comfort Tyler. _

"I don't know."

"Exactly," Tyler replied.

_Standing up on the bleachers, she threw her arms down against her sides in defeat. _

"Okay, so what if he likes me? That's a good thing if it means he might confide in me...reveal any secrets about the sire bond or the doppelganger that we can use against him," she tried to reassure him.

_He looked at her with hostility. _

"No way. You're not spending more time with him," he determined for her.

_She hadn't planned on it anyways, given what had happened between her and Klaus and his intention to leave soon. She was only trying to get Tyler to see the positives of the circumstances. However, his command-like statement rubbed her the wrong way. _

"Yes, master," she retorted.

_He rolled his eyes. _

"Whether he likes you or not is beside the point. He's dangerous Caroline. He could still hurt you," Tyler reasoned, as if to make it seem like her safety was his number one concern.

_She crossed her arms. _

"Are you sure that my safety is the main reason you don't want me seeing him again Tyler? Or is it your jealousy?" she countered, ignoring his stare as she watched some of the last remaining students shuffle towards the gym exit.

"Who cares?" he answered angrily.

"I care," she said sternly, pointing her gloved hand towards her chest. "Klaus can like me all he wants Tyler, but I like you. How many times do I have to tell you that?" she wondered.

_How many times did she have to tell herself that? She thought. _

_He didn't give her a verbal answer, instead preferring a passive aggressive lift of his shoulders. _

_She gritted her teeth in frustration. _

"I thought we were done fighting about this?" she sighed quietly, hoping he would be more responsive to her more conciliatory tone.

"What did he say to you tonight?" Tyler asked randomly, completely ignoring her comment, as if he had been planning to ask it since he saw her and Klaus dance together.

_Now it was her turn to shrug. _

"Come on Caroline. What did he say you to? He had you on the verge of tears!" Tyler exclaimed, with no clear intention of backing down.

_She was almost on the verge of tears again. _

_The doors to the gym from the school hallway opened before she could respond. Relief washed over her as Stefan emerged through the entrance._

"They're at the old cemetery. Jeremy and Matt are headed there right now," Stefan revealed.

_Her eyes widened in horror at the prospect of Jeremy and Matt taking on the original witch._

"You let them go! They're gonna get themselves killed!" she warned.

_Stefan seemed to empathize with her point of view. _

_The last thing Elena would want is for Matt or Jeremy to be killed in an effort to save her._

"I didn't have a choice, Caroline. We're useless right now stuck in here," Stefan admitted regretfully.

_His eyes were full of worry. _

_She now empathized with him._

"Hey, she'll be fine. Elena always manages to find her way through this stuff," she reassured Stefan, hoping that she wouldn't be wrong this time.

"Yeah, well I'm just as worried about what Esther is up to. She led Klaus here for a reason. If she succeeds in whatever she's doing..." Stefan started.

- "Klaus could get killed. And I die along with him," Tyler interrupted, breaking his silence.

_Tyler was right. Esther was clearly using Elena for some effort to stop Klaus. Stopping Klaus would more than likely mean his death. His death would mean the end for Tyler, and perhaps the end for the rest of them._

"No one is gonna die, okay. Bonnie is still looking for a way around the boundary spell. It's not too late," Stefan said, marking his turn to play the optimist.

_She gave Stefan a faint smile before he turned back for the classrooms. _

"So, best case scenario: Bonnie gets us out of here, Klaus hauls ass to Timbuktu and you and I we're home free," she detailed, turning back to Tyler.

_Her efforts to play the optimist were clearly not having an impact on Tyler, who remained seated in the bleachers with a solemn look on his face.  
_

"Or we let Esther come and kill him," Tyler proposed.

_Her jaw dropped and she scowled at him._

"That's not a best case scenario. That's not even a remotely acceptable scenario!" she panicked, fearing Tyler's present instability would provoke him to do something reckless.

"It would be an option if we knew he wasn't the one who turned your bloodline. You'd be safe. At least he would be gone," Tyler argued.

_Both Klaus and Tyler would be gone in that event. The thought made her ill. Her guilt would not allow her to bear the thought of Tyler sacrificing himself for her, and despite the internal debate raging within her, she knew her heart could not bear the thought of Klaus being killed. _

"How could you say that?" she questioned him.

"Because I'm angry. Because I hate him! I should have never let him dance with you!" Tyler broke down, obviously more effected by Klaus than he had been letting on.

_She felt sorry for him. She felt guilty. She wanted to make this whole mess disappear. She wanted to give him the reassurance he was so desperately in need of. _

_Time, she reminded herself, would resolve her feelings. She couldn't be selfish. She needed to do all she could to fight the lingering feelings she felt for the original hybrid. They had been over as quickly as they began; Klaus had made sure of that. She had to try and move on with Tyler. _

"What were you supposed to do? He can't know that you're not sired anymore," she said, defending his actions and his honour.

_She sighed and took a deep, but quick breath, as she prepared herself for what she was going to say next. _

"Tyler, it doesn't matter how many times I dance with him. I love you," she told him, hoping he wouldn't sense the present uncertainty in her voice.

_She sat down beside him. _

_He smiled at her, seemingly appreciative and convinced. _

_Before she could second guess herself anymore, she sealed her fate and her words with a kiss. _

_Regardless of her intent, it didn't feel right. _

_She pulled away slowly, hoping not to arouse Tyler's suspicion. _

_Leaning against his shoulder, she sighed. She tried hard to ignore all the circumstances, and simply allow herself to be comforted by the fabric of his suit against her cheek._

When the gym doors opened once more, she nearly toppled over as Tyler shot up from the bleachers.

_It was Stefan again. _

"Bonnie broke the boundary spell. Let's go," Stefan urged them.

_Both of them jumped from the bleachers and promptly followed Stefan with their vampire enhanced speed to the cemetery. _

_Damon and Matt were standing solemnly and aimlessly outside of the Salvatore tomb when they arrived._

Stefan exchanged glances with Damon, urging him to update the situation.

"Esther is dead," Damon said.

_There was a shared sigh of relief amongst the three of them at that news, but it was restrained in anticipation of the bad news that was sure to come. The frowns on Damon and Matt's face said it all. __Klaus's mother was dead...who had killed her? Klaus? Where was he? Where was Elena? She thought hurriedly to herself._

"She was planning to use Alaric to turn him into some psychotic vampire and vampire hunter specifically for the purpose of killing Klaus. Esther did some witchy magic using the white oak stake and Elena's blood and then killed him, with the intent to turn him...He wasn't wearing his ring," Damon explained, clearly fighting to hold back his emotions.

_It was not often she sympathized for Damon, but she did right now._

"When he came to, he killed Esther. He saved Matt and Jeremy. Klaus was here for about two seconds to retrieve her body..." Damon said, chuckling slightly.

_His face soon turned gloomy again as he looked to Stefan. _

_She looked at Matt who was struggling to hold his composure. His eyes were wet. _"Alaric isn't going to complete the transition," he said shakily before swallowing down the sadness that threatened to escape. "Jeremy and Elena are in the tomb...saying good-bye," Damon finished.

_Stefan took a few deep breaths, looking up at the sky as if to hide or contain his own sorrowful expression. _

_She stood there emotionless as she watched Tyler give Matt a consoling brotherly embrace. _

_Was it horrible that she couldn't react the way everyone else seemed to be reacting? Perhaps it was shock. Maybe she was becoming desensitized to it all. It seemed like they were constantly dealing with the death of loved ones; all victims in some way or another in the fight over the doppelganger. _

_This didn't seem like reality anymore. It was like a horrible nightmare stuck on repeat. She was tired of it. _

_All of them stood around silently, as one might at a funeral. In a sense, this was Alaric's funeral. _

_A few minutes later Meredith and Bonnie arrived and Stefan took the burden of explaining to them what had happened off of Damon's shoulders. _

_Not long after that, Jeremy emerged from the Tomb, followed shortly after by Elena and then Alaric. _

_He said nothing to them, except to acknowledge their presence with a small but faded smile of appreciation before disappearing back inside the tomb. _

_They all remained for a few moments afterwards trying to let the intensity of the situation sink in._

Elena quickly decided that she couldn't handle it anymore Stefan agreed to leave with her.

She gave Elena a hug in a futile effort to console her best friend before she departed.

_Matt and Jeremy left after Stefan and Elena, and she and Tyler followed suit. Bonnie, Meredith, and Damon remained at the tomb._

She and Tyler returned to the high school parking lot to retrieve their respective cars.

_Given the numerous thoughts and emotions running through her head, she was unsure how the night would end with Tyler. _

_What could they say to each other now in lieu of what they had just been a part of? _

"I can't believe tonight," Tyler spoke as he walked her to her car. "I can't believe Mr. Saltzman is just gone like that," he added.

_She nodded in response. She didn't feel like talking about it. She didn't feel like talking about anything. _

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Tyler asked.

"No, it's alright," she answered.

"So I'll meet you at your house then?" he assumed.

_She froze with his question. He wanted to return to her house to stay. Since when had he decided to invite himself back to her house? Why did it bother her so much?_

"Or not?" he suggested, clearly picking up on her displeased expression.

_She sighed and rushed to find an excuse._

"Are you mad at me?" Tyler wondered.

"I'm not mad at you, Tyler," she answered quickly. "It's just...I didn't get much sleep last night..." As soon as she made that excuse she mentally scolded herself and the guilt slapped her across the face instantly.

_Of course she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She fought with Tyler, fucked Klaus, and then fought with him too._

"And I was up early to set up for the dance...plus I have to be up early tomorrow morning to clean it all up. I don't think Elena is going to be up for helping me and I don't expect Rebekah to be around," she added. "Not to mention what happened tonight with Mr. Saltzman. I'm mentally exhausted. I just want to be alone tonight," she admitted.

_He seemed disappointed, but respectful of her desire nonetheless. _

"Okay, I understand," he replied. "I'll meet you here tomorrow to help you clean up," he finished.

_She gave him a meek smile that hid her guilt. He was only offering to help her to make her happy; to please her; to make up for whatever he could sense that she was upset with him for._

There was nothing he could do to make it up to her, because he had done nothing wrong in the first place. She wasn't upset with him, she was upset with herself.

"Thanks," she whispered.

_He kissed her chastely on the cheek. _

"Goodnight, Caroline," he said.

_Once his back was turned as he started for his own car, her face fell into frown. _

_She wasn't looking forward to the prospect of returning to an empty house. She didn't want to be alone tonight. However, she also knew that it wasn't Tyler she wanted to keep her company. _

_That realization frightened her. _

* * *

**A/N: So I hoped I successfully integrated the unique aspects of my fic in with the original story told by TVD. In case I didn't and you're confused, please feel free to message me with any questions or comments.**

**The next chapter I plan to do will revolve around the events from 3x21. I am thinking of switching up points of view, so that Klaus and Caroline are both represented. I'm currently planning how to interweave the original events of the episode in with the story my fic is trying to tell. I'm thinking Caroline and Rebekah's conversation at the first of the episode will be extended. I'm also thinking that perhaps Elena and Klaus's conversation will be extended. Of course, I also plan to give some insight into what was going through Caroline's mind when she decided to throw a party in celebration of Klaus's desiccation. If you have any opinions with respect to the next chapter, please feel free to share.**

**Ultimately, I'm looking forward to finishing up the next couple chapters so I can work on writing material that is completely my own.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So I'm back with an update a little earlier than I anticipated. I had some free time this weekend. As usual, I want to praise all of you who continue to support this fic, particularly those who leave reviews. I appreciate all of your comments. I'm not just saying that. I like to know that I'm not working away at these chapters to get them posted for nothing. ****Again, I hope that I incorporated the original dialogue and storyline from TVD effectively into this chapter. **

**Please ignore any spelling or grammatical errors. Editing is tedious work. **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!**

* * *

_The sunny morning stood in stark contrast to dark clouds that hung in her mind like a lingering storm. _

_She shook her head at the car clock before removing the key from the ignition. It was almost eight o'clock in the morning. The thought of being awake at this time made her yawn instinctively. It's not like she should be tired. She had fallen asleep almost instantly last night. Still, she found herself emotionally exhausted. So much had happened in the past few days. She wanted to be at home curled up on the couch immersed in some mindless re-run of 'Say Yes to the Dress' as opposed to her own problems. _

_Perhaps cleaning up the debris and decorations from the dance would achieve the same goal. She could find a stereo from the AV room and plug in her iPod. The music and work would distract her. _

_As she approached the doors to the school she actually found herself hoping that Rebekah wouldn't show. Both of them were control freaks. She just wanted to clean the way she wanted to and at the pace she preferred. She hated the thought of Rebekah barking orders at her._

Plus when Matt arrived Rebekah would be useless anyways.

_Her phone began to ring as she entered. _

_The display read 'Tyler' and she sighed. _

_She had almost forgotten that Tyler had volunteered to help clean up last night._

So much for the day to herself, she thought.

Her aversion to Tyler unnerved her. First she felt like she was appeasing him, now she felt like she was avoiding him. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair to Tyler. She knew she had to get her shit together.

_She answered the phone._

"Hey."

"Hey," Tyler replied.

_She could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong, and immediately prepared herself for the worst. That's what a guilty conscience will do to you._

"So I know I said I would help you out this morning, but it looks like I'm gonna have to ditch your clean up committee," he told her.

"What do you mean you're ditching my clean up committee?" she complained, trying her best to sound upset and disappointed.

_She wasn't. _

"Klaus called..."

_She stopped with the mention of his name. _

"He did?" she asked apprehensively.

_This was it. Tyler knows, she thought. _

"He's leaving town and wants me to pack up his house," Tyler explained.

_Her feelings were scrambled between relief that Tyler was still in the dark, and melancholia over Klaus's imminent departure. _

"Well, since when does sire bond equal mover slave?" she asked annoyed.

_Tyler chuckled. _

"Since I realized you're not gonna dump me for him," he replied.

_She winced at his words. _

"Ugh, he's being petty," she realized.

_Klaus was being petty. Clearly he would only accept her choice kicking and screaming. He was mad that she refused him. Thus, he would retaliate by dangling his fake control of Tyler above her head to make her anxious. He would occupy Tyler's time just so she couldn't. _

"And he still thinks I'm sired to him," he reminded her. "It's fine, I'll keep up the act and it will all be over soon. I'm late, I gotta go. I love you," he said quickly.

_He hung up before he could hear her whisper hesitantly an "I love you too" back. _

_Those words now almost felt empty and meaningless. _

_How could she tell Tyler she loved him? Look at what she had done to him... _

_She hung up and tried to calm herself before proceeding to the cafeteria. _

_When she heard a small sound behind her she jumped slightly and then turned around to investigate._

"Hello?" she said, before laughing at herself.

_Clearly, her paranoia and anxiety were getting the better of her. There was no one there to respond. _

_She shook her head at herself as she reached the cafeteria. _

_Much to her amazement and dismay, Rebekah was already there cleaning. _

_This wouldn't be a quiet morning after all. _

_Matt's apparent absence would make things worse. At least he could mediate between the two of them. She loathed the thought of being alone with the original sister. _

"Where's Matt?" she inquired, holding onto hope that he was simply running late.

_Rebekah glared at her as she collected some more trash. _

"He bailed. Got called into work at the last minute," Rebekah informed her.

"Are you kidding me? So, it's just us?" she complained, upset about the lack of help, as well as the help who actually decided to show.

"Yes, and you're late," Rebekah scolded her. "Clean up committee started at eight o'clock," she reminded her.

_She scoffed and rolled her eyes. _

"It's like 8:02," she retorted.

"Exactly. I managed to turn up on time and I didn't even get to attend the dance that I organized," Rebekah replied as she walked by to empty the trash can into a larger one.

_Suddenly she didn't feel so angry about Rebekah's annoyance with her. Rebekah's absence at the dance had quickly reminded her that both she and Rebekah's lives had been altered in a way last night. _

_If she was going to spend the rest of the day cleaning with Rebekah, she might as well show her some sympathy. Perhaps that would mollify her. _

"I'm sorry about your mom..." she started, hoping Rebekah wouldn't take it the wrong way, "I mean, I know you like, hated her and everything, but still...I'm sorry," she said genuinely, surprised at how decent she was being with Rebekah.

_She did understand. In the last few months of his life, she had come close to hating her father as well, but that didn't erase the years she spent loving him. _

_Rebekah considered her words blankly. _

"I'm sorry about your teacher. He seemed like a nice guy," she finally said, conceding to her the same decency.

_Okay, so maybe Rebekah wasn't completely devoid of empathy. Maybe they could put up with one another for one day. _

"Yeah, he was," she answered, as she started for the wall decorations.

"I'm sure Matt looked dashing in his costume last night," Rebekah thought aloud to herself, changing the subject.

_She wondered if this was an attempt on Rebekah's part to annoy her, or if it was just a way to make small talk; the casual musings of a centuries old teenage vampire who had a crush on a boy. _

_The thought made her smirk to herself. Rebekah had always come off as cold and calculated. Her apparent weakness for Matt humanized her in a way. That's not to say she didn't fear for Matt's safety any less. _

_Why was Matt always into girls who could put him in harm's way? _

"He did," she answered in an effort to quench Rebekah's curiosity.

_She felt the need to as a means of trying to make up for Rebekah's involuntary non-attendance. _

_Rebekah's eyes burned with jealousy. _

"In a strictly platonic way of course," she smiled at the original, hoping to calm her down.

_Rebekah's face relaxed and she smiled back. _

"Other than that, you didn't miss much," she explained as she began to remove the wall decorations.

_She heard Rebekah snort from behind her. _

"Of course I did. I missed the sight of you trapped in a gymnasium with my brother and your 'boyfriend'" Rebekah corrected.

_She paused briefly at Rebekah's mention of Tyler and Klaus, but attempted to carry on nonchalantly with the task of cleaning up. _

"Of course your eyes weren't on Matt last evening," she concluded, sounding reassured. "You were likely too busy admiring my brother in that vintage white suit I gave to him for his birthday one year...nineteen twenty-one, I believe," Rebekah recalled.

_She was not about to dignify Rebekah's attempts to make her uncomfortable with a response. _

"He no doubt made an appearance at the dance for you," she added.

_The scoff and eye roll she was holding back were finally enacted. _

"He told me he came for you..." she attempted to clarify.

_Rebekah laughed. _

"There's not a thing in the world my mother could have said as me to convince Nik to attend a high school dance," she stated. "He went for you," she emphasized.

_She shook her head at the thought. _

"No, he didn't," she denied flatly. "If he went for me it's because he knew Tyler was back in town."

"Perhaps that was part of it...but it's only because he fancies you. He's jealous," Rebekah pushed.

_Rebekah's persistence was making her blush and she could feel the muscles in her face curl into a small smirk despite her bitter internal protests. _

"Judging by your expression, I'd say the feelings are mutual," Rebekah said observantly.

_She forced a frown and glared at Rebekah. _

"The feeling is not mutual," she replied.

"Then what do you call sleeping with him?" Rebekah retorted, knowing full well that she had the ultimate hand to play.

_She sighed, but decided she wasn't about to let Rebekah get the better of her. _

_She rested her hands on her hips. _

"I'd call it none of your business," she answered sarcastically.

_Rebekah smirked, seemingly impressed by her ability to go toe to toe with her. _

"Nik is my brother, so I'd say it's my business," Rebekah answered.

_She turned her back on Rebekah and began to re-package some of the decorations to be used for a future dance. _

"I mean, you obviously feel something for my brother despite what he's done to your friends. You wouldn't have risked everything you have by sleeping with him if you didn't..." Rebekah suggested.

"Can we just stop talking about this?" she asked Rebekah, becoming more and more furious by the second.

_The last thing she wanted to do today was discuss Klaus. The last person she wanted to discuss Klaus with was Rebekah. _

"Are you sure you want to?" Rebekah asked her cryptically. "I mean, I really am the only person you can talk to about it...both Elena and Bonnie would turn their backs on you the second they found out about your little tryst with my brother," she noted

_She could not deny that Rebekah was right. There was no one else she could talk to without exposing her guilty thoughts and deeds. Bonnie and Elena would surely disown her as a friend if she told them. _

_Regardless, she still didn't trust Rebekah enough to confide in her. _

"I have nothing to say to you. Please, let's just get this place cleaned up so we can get out of here," she hissed to Rebekah, hoping she'd take a hint and drop the subject.

_And she did...for a few minutes. _

"You know...we're leaving later tonight," Rebekah reminded her.

"Your point?" she retorted, trying to convey the impression that she didn't care.

_Rebekah shrugged. _

"I'm just surprised Nik didn't ask you to come along," she chuckled, "at first I thought the possibility was dreadful, but if there's one thing I can't stand more than you, it's the prospect of being suffocated by three egotistical male vampires..."

- "I said no," she interrupted.

_Rebekah looked at her confused. _

"Klaus asked me to leave with the both of you, but I said no. Whatever was going on between your brother and me is over. So there's nothing more to say," she said quickly, hoping to skip over the emotions her words made her feel.

"Because of Tyler?" Rebekah asked, appearing confident she had found her answer.

_She looked at Rebekah seriously, hoping her expression and lack of response would motivate her to keep guessing; to discover the true reason. _

"I'm sure your brother would like to think that way...to blame me," she hinted.

"The doppelganger," Rebekah answered decidedly. "You won't go with Nik because of Elena. I knew it," she concluded.

_She said nothing to confirm or deny Rebekah's assertions, even though they were correct for the most part. _

"I told Nik as much. He never listens to me," she complained. "I'm beginning to think Nik would give me up for the doppelganger," she mused.

_She laughed slightly at Rebekah's attempt at a dark joke. However, she couldn't help but suspect that there could be some truth to her words. _

_They stood there awkwardly for a few moments. _

"I'm gonna get started on the gym," Rebekah said, breaking the silence, before heading for the cafeteria doors.

_When Rebekah was out of range, she released a heavy sigh of relief. _

_Before she could even make any progress on the cleanup effort a commotion in the hall grabbed her attention. _

_Curious, she darted into the hallway only to find Rebekah against the lockers and Alaric ready to kill her with a white oak stake. _

_Alaric's presence confused her, but she had no time to think. Rebekah could be the original vampire she descended from. She couldn't let her die. _

_She rushed Alaric, pinning him against the lockers. _

_Rebekah acted next, and plunged the stake violently into Alaric's chest. _

_They both stood back, hoping to catch their breaths as Alaric succumbed to his death, but when Alaric began to remove the stake from his body, they both looked at each other in bewilderment. _

_Rebekah quickly rushed out of the school and she followed closely behind. _

_The only thing on her mind now was survival. _

_Once outside, her car was within her sight and she bolted towards it as she pulled out her keys. _

_Alaric was approaching; she could see his reflection against her car. The distraction caused her to drop her keys. _

_She cried out in defeat before everything went black._

* * *

_He took his time, carefully removing the paintings from the wall he had only put up weeks ago and slid them into a large crate made especially for this purpose. _

_This was not how he had planned his stay in Mystic Falls. He had been aiming for something more long term. Damon and Stefan had set up residence here, so why couldn't he and the rest of his family do the same? They were here first after all. That was the intention. After driving the Salvatores out, he intended to watch over Elena as she lived out the rest of her life here. He would protect her in exchange for a small donation of blood every once and again. _

_More than that, there would have been somewhat of a permanent residence for him and his siblings. Running for centuries was tiring. He didn't want to run. He wanted to be in one place long enough to remember it. The fact that he had even went through all this trouble to renovate and hang his artwork signalled as much. _

_But with no sign of Elena purging herself of the Salvatores anytime soon, and the possibility that his mother could still be out there plotting against him in spirit, there was no other option but to leave. Mystic Falls offered him no protection. He was a sitting duck waiting to be killed here. _

_As he opened one of the bureau drawers to inspect its contents, he noticed the sparkle of the bracelet he had gave to Caroline for her birthday. _

_He had thrown it in this drawer hastily after she left here angrily the night of the ball his family had hosted. _

_Removing it, he draped it across his hand. _

_It was a priceless piece. Indeed, it had been worn by a princess almost as beautiful as Caroline at one point in time. _

_It wasn't such a long story though. He had merely said that to avoid discussing the subject with Caroline. That same princess he had mentioned gave it to him before he killed her, as he routinely did then. She was nothing to him; merely someone to amuse him; to pass the time with; to punish. Anyways, she was married; in love with another man; unavailable to him, except with a cocktail of seduction and compulsion. Motivated by a lethal combination of resentment and repressed emotion, he had used all his familiar tricks to destroy her. Strangely, despite the compulsion, she could sense the inner turmoil plaguing him. She could sense that her death would come at his hands. She removed the bracelet off her wrist shortly before he killed her. He could distinctly remember her telling him to give it selflessly to a woman who deserved it; one who had caught his attention rather than one who's attention he had caught - in other words, compelled. He was to give it to a woman whose life he had preserved rather than took. _

_It had been a strange and poignant experience. He had never been confronted by his actions like that, let alone by someone who was most severely impacted by them. Her words had stuck with him over the years, and oddly, he felt like he owed it to her. He never went out of his way to carry out her request by any means. Admittedly, Caroline had been the first one to fulfill the princess's criteria. _

_To his dismay, Caroline had rejected the gift. It was almost some sort of bad karma; the princess haunting him from the grave. _

_If he was being completely honest, his urgent departure had as much to do now with Caroline's rejection as it did with Elena and preserving his own life. _

_Her refusal to leave with him had played continuously in his mind like a broken record the past two days. He hated that it even affected him. _

_He had told himself repeatedly that it was better this way for both his sanity and survival, but that was little consolation for some reason. _

_Besides, he could never give her what she wanted anyways, despite confidently proclaiming to her otherwise. _

_She wanted love. _

_He wasn't capable of it. _

_Perhaps she was better suited with Tyler after all, even though the idea disgusted him. _

"What the hell is this?" Tyler asked angrily snapping him from his thoughts.

_Speak of the devil. _

_Of course, his bitterness had gotten the better of him. He always had been a sore loser. Hence, his ingenious plan to have Tyler spend the day packing his things thus rendering him occupied; unable to indulge in the prize he hadn't even known he was in a competition to win in the first place; Caroline. Indeed, she was more than a prize to be won, but nevertheless, Tyler had won her. He had lost. _

_He dropped the bracelet back into the bureau drawer discreetly before turning to face Tyler. _

"Excuse me?" he asked, signalling to Tyler that his question and tone were out of line.

"This!" he said, holding up a red jacket in his hands for emphasis. "This is Caroline's. Why do you have it?" he demanded.

_The jacket Tyler was holding had been the one Caroline had left here unintentionally in her eagerness to leave after their heated argument the other night; after he commanded that she leave. _

_He had found the jacket not long after she left. He had - purposely or not - neglected to return it to her. _

_It had not been left out intentionally for Tyler to find, he had simply forgotten about it. Tyler finding it was just a happy accident. _

_He smirked at Tyler, debating whether or not he should take this lovely opportunity to inform him of the truth and spoil everything. _

_The vengeful side of him was itching to share all the details; another side of him, the foolish side that was still hopelessly attached to the young blonde vampire urged him to bite his tongue. _

_He would do just that, but there was still some fun to be had. _

_Walking towards Tyler, he examined the article of clothing in Tyler's hands. _

"She must have forgotten it when she was here the other evening," he said vaguely.

_Tyler gritted his teeth and he could tell that he was struggling to keep calm. _

"She was here?" he asked.

_He laughed playfully at the young hybrid's question and took the jacket from him, fingering the stitching in the material. _

"Well, while you were on your little trip to where ever it was you went, Caroline and I spent some time together. We actually became quite close, really," he explained casually, as if it was no big deal; as if he wasn't speaking to Caroline's jealous boyfriend.

_Tyler looked furious and ill. _

"Not to worry mate. I just wanted to get to know the girl you're so enamoured with," he mused.

"That's why you drew a picture of her?" Tyler challenged.

_He shrugged innocently. _

"You saw that did you?" he asked Tyler, playing dumb. "Her father had just died. She needed something to cheer her up. It's not like you were here..."

_Before he could finish his remark about Tyler's absence, Tyler's fist flung towards his face, but he caught it before it could make its impact. _

"Now now...I don't think that's a very good idea," he spat, nearly crushing Tyler's fist in his hand.

_It felt good. _

_Tyler yelped in pain and he released his grip only slightly before picking up the baby hybrid by his shirt. _

"Like I said..._mate_...you have nothing to worry about. I'll be leaving town tonight and you and Caroline will be free to carry on with your little relationship. You should be so grateful that I was here to look out for her; grateful that I haven't decided to take you along with me and separate the both of you," he lectured Tyler.

_Tyler nodded in agreement; the sire bond reclaiming him and putting him back in his submissive place. _

_He dropped Tyler back to his feet. _

"I am grateful to you Klaus," Tyler reassured him.

_He grinned before turning darkly serious once more. _

_Lunging towards Tyler, he pushed him up against the wall, his forearm under his neck. _

"Excellent. I graciously accept your gratitude, but if you _ever_ hurt her, know that I will hunt you down and destroy you," he threatened.

_Tyler swallowed hard and nodded. _

"Now finish packing the rest of my things and kindly return Caroline's jacket to her when you're done," he ordered as he thrust the article of clothing against Tyler's chest and pushed him to the side.

_Eager to please, Tyler scurried out of the room to continue packing things in another part of the house. _

_He himself returned to sorting through his own possessions. _

_Not long after resuming the process of packing did he hear his sister barge through the front doors of the house. _

_He could tell by the way she was walking that something had clearly upset her. _

"Alaric Saltzman just tried to kill me," she declared once she reached him.

* * *

_He stepped into the school apprehensively but ready for a fight. _

_This was not how he had anticipated the day would go. _

_It was supposed to be simple. He would use Tyler as his sired minion for the day to pack his things while he snatched Elena. Then, he, Rebekah, and Elena would be off to where ever he decided would be best. Whichever location would keep those pesky Salvatore brothers at bay would be best. He snickered at the thought of them pathetically worshipping at the doppelganger's feet. _

_Instead, here he was walking down an eerily quiet school hallway on his way into a death trap. _

_Perhaps this whole thing was a set up? He wondered. Maybe Alaric was somehow working with the Salvatores? _

_He brushed the thought aside as he recalled Stefan's panicked expression. He was never good at lying or faking a mood. _

_Alaric had this planned. He was trying to lure him in with bait and of course he was falling for it. _

_Interestingly, Alaric had selected both Caroline and Elena as his bait of choice. _

_He had noticed Caroline's car in the parking lot, and as he walked past decorations from last night's decade dance, he quickly realized how Alaric had snatched her. _

_Last night Caroline had mentioned her clean up duty this morning. She had urged him to make sure his sister was in attendance. Caroline had been here with Rebekah. Yet when Rebekah had informed him earlier of Alaric's return from the dead, she had said nothing of Caroline. He cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. _

_He gritted his teeth, wishing his sister was here so he could strangle her instead. She had neglected to tell him on purpose. She knew there was a possibility that he would stay behind to help Caroline. It was no matter anyways, because he had remained, but for the doppelganger. _

_The doppelganger was just within reach and he was not about to waste all his efforts now. He would not let this opportunity slip through his fingers. He needed hybrids and Elena's blood would give them to him. Alaric would not stop him. _

_This new set of circumstances made him uncomfortable. For once, he was not the bad guy. He was the knight in shining armour coming to save not one, but two damsels in distress. It was a peculiar thought, one that made him cringe. _

_He hated having his weaknesses put on display. _

_Elena, as the doppelganger, was quite obviously a weakness, but Caroline on the other hand had come out of nowhere. Somewhere along the line she had become a liability; a weakness of his that could be used against him. How did that happen? He had even warned himself about her. _

_Despite the fact that she had selected Tyler and refused to leave with him, he knew that this rejection did not mean he would let Alaric slaughter her. He was prepared to leave her behind, but he was not prepared to leave her to die. Indeed, she was a weakness. _

_These weaknesses would be the death of him if the Bennett witch could not successfully follow through with the desiccation spell. His weaknesses would be the death of him if Stefan and Damon did not come to his aid as per their plan. _

_His death was less of a concern than was the death of the doppelganger, or as it seemed, the death of Caroline. _

_As he rounded the hallway towards Alaric's classroom, he could hear frantic footsteps and laboured breathing. He could smell her familiar flowery scent; he knew it was Caroline. _

_Instantly, he felt an overwhelming surge of suffocating relief fill his chest. _

_She had managed to break free somehow and was running in his direction. He stopped and prepared himself. _

_Sure enough, she came around the corner at full speed and he grabbed her immediately. _

_He pulled her against him and quickly covered her mouth with his hand so that no one, especially Alaric, would hear her screams of surprise and terror. _

_Her body was trembling against his with fear. _

"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay. It's me," he whispered to her. "It's okay, you're safe," he reassured her.

_She fell quiet and relaxed under his hold. She was relieved. He relieved her. _

_He spun her around to inspect her. They didn't have much time. _

_Holding her face in his hands, he studied her for injury. Her face was ghost white and he could see the fading burn marks on her cheeks and corners of her mouth from vervain. He frowned at the sight. It made him even more enraged. _

"Why didn't you run with Rebekah?" he scolded her quietly as he brought her face closer.

"I tried," she squeaked, looking up at him with those captivating eyes of hers.

"You could have been killed," he whispered as loud as he could, shaking her by her shoulders.

"I know," she said softly as a few tears fell down her cheeks.

_Without giving it much consideration, he grabbed her face once more and kissed her hard._

He had never intended to kiss her. It was an instinctive uncontrolled action. He couldn't explain it.

_When he pulled her away from him, she looked just as confused as he did. _

_He thumbed some of her tears away and stared at her intensely. _

"We'll get Elena. You go straight home. You stay inside, do you understand?" he explained.

_She looked at him as if in a daze. _

"Do you understand me?" he repeated.

"Thank you," she replied as she nodded.

_He started for Alaric's classroom, but stopped when Caroline grabbed his hand. _

"Klaus..." she spoke.

_Turning back around, he was met with the soft touch of her lips against his. _

_Just as soon as it happened, she broke the kiss self-consciously. Her face lingered close to his; their foreheads were practically touching; she was standing on her toes; her eyes were closed. _

"Be careful, okay? He's strong," she warned in a whisper, her doe eyes opening to meet his once more.

_They gazed at each other for a few fleeting moments, before he pried himself away for the doppelganger._

* * *

_Despite her inner hesitations, she had heeded to his demand and rushed out of the school, stopping only to point Damon and Stefan in the right direction. _

_When Klaus said 'we' apparently Damon and Stefan is who he meant. They must have had some plan in the works to save Elena; perhaps to bring Alaric down. She found it ironic that the three of them were working together. _

_She could barely drive home. Her hands were shaking the wheel so erratically. She thought for sure she was going to die. What's worse is that Elena was still being held captive by Alaric. She felt guilty for abandoning her, but more suitable help had replaced her - even if that included Klaus. What mattered was keeping Elena alive at this point. The vervain had made her too weak; she was of no use to her friend anyways. She had to go home and regain her strength and power. _

_Once home, she grabbed a full bag of blood from the fridge and indulged readily. She could literally feel her body rejuvenating itself as the blood replaced the poisonous vervain in her system. _

_Realizing that her mother was still asleep prepping for another night shift, she tip-toed to her room where she began to pace frantically as she tried to get a hold of anyone with news. Nobody was answering._

_Tyler wasn't even answering his cell phone and she began to panic. Where the hell had he been when she was being held captive in the school by Alaric? Where was he now? _

_She fell back on her bed and huffed in frustration, trying to figure out what she was going to do next. What could she do to help her friends? _

_Klaus had told her to stay inside. _

_How could she stay inside during a time like this? Her friends needed her; he needed her. _

_He told you to stay inside, she reminded herself. _

_She bit her lip as she let her thoughts briefly turn from Elena to her encounter with Klaus in the school hallway. _

_Although Elena had gotten her out of immediate danger, Klaus had also helped save her. Surely she would have ran back for Elena had Klaus not been there to reassure her. _

_She had never been so elated to see him; to feel his protective arms around her. She couldn't believe he even made her feel that way in the first place. _

_He himself had looked relieved to see her. He kissed her. _

_Just when she thought she could move on; that her moments with Klaus had come to an end; he had literally stopped her in her tracks. _

_He kissed her, she thought again, wondering what was going through his mind? _

_She had kissed him. She kissed him right out in the open for anyone to see. What was she thinking? _

_Why did fate keep pushing them together? Why was he always there when she needed to forget him most? _

_She needed to let go. _

_Cringing in frustration, she punched her fist into her mattress and brought her legs up onto the bed. _

_She spent another few minutes trying each of her friends and then repeating the process, until sleep overtook her. _

_The vervain had made her weaker than she anticipated._

_She woke to the sound of the front door shutting. It was her mother leaving for another shift. She had barely slept for a half hour. _

_As much as she wanted to see her, she was glad her mother didn't disturb her. She didn't feel like dragging her mother into another vampire mess. _

_She shot up from bed and tried calling her friends once more; still no answer. She even tried Elena's home phone. _

_If things had gone according to plan, Klaus would be back at his house preparing to leave. _

_She would go there first_

_Once she changed into fresh clothes she proceeded to collect her things. _

_She left her room and opened her front door only to be confronted with Tyler stepping onto the porch. _

"Tyler..." she said surprised, "where have you been? I've been trying to call you!" she cried.

_His hands rested on her shoulders. _

"We got him," he said, his face breaking into a smile.

_Her heart swelled with relief. _

"You got Alaric? He's dead?" she asked with excited anticipation.

_His expression fell flat and he shook his head. _

"No...We got Klaus," he said, his spirits lifting again.

_Her brows furrowed with confusion. _

"What do you mean you 'got' Klaus? If he's dead then that means you're..."

- "He's not technically dead. Bonnie did some desiccation spell her mother originally did on Klaus's father Mikael. They had intended it for Alaric, but he was too strong..." Tyler explained.

_She felt numb. _

"I don't understand..." she whimpered, overtaken with emotion.

"The desiccation spell severely weakens Klaus to the brink of death. He's still alive, but barely. Damon and Stefan are going to hide his body so Alaric can't find it," Tyler clarified.

"How did this happen?" she asked, not even sure what she was asking anymore, or if it made any sense.

"If Elena dies, Alaric dies. Alaric was ready to kill Klaus, but Elena threatened her own life. Alaric let them go. Klaus brought Elena back to his house...he was going to drain Elena of her blood so he could make more hybrids but also kill Alaric..."

- "Klaus was going to kill Elena?" she squeaked.

_Tyler nodded. _

_Why was she even surprised? It had always been about hybrids for Klaus, nothing more. Backed into a corner, Klaus had clearly resorted to drastic measures to preserve his ultimate goal. _

"I was there..." Tyler continued. "Klaus told me to leave to get more blood bags. Instead, I got help from Stefan and Damon. Long story short, Klaus found out I broke the sire bond, and all three of us helped Bonnie carry out her spell on Klaus. Alaric is still out there, but as far as Klaus is concerned, Elena is safe, I'm safe, and if Klaus's blood created you, Damon, and Stefan, you're all safe too now that desiccated him," he concluded proudly.

_She smiled meekly as he took her into his arms. _

_Now Klaus really was gone. She felt sick to her stomach. _

_He pulled away and held her out in front of him. _

"Are you okay? Damon and Stefan told me Alaric had you in the school with Elena. I can't believe I missed their texts..."

_If it was possible, she felt even sicker. _

"You mean they texted you when I was in the school and you just missed their texts?" she inquired.

_Tyler nodded hesitantly...guiltily. _

"Yeah, but I didn't have my phone. I was all over Klaus's mansion packing..." he reminded her. "I'm so sorry Caroline. I don't know what I would have done had anything happened to you," he apologized.

"You mean you were too busy faking your sire bond to help your girlfriend," she corrected him as she shrugged away from his touch.

_He scoffed. _

"Come on Caroline, I could have missed their text doing anything. I'm sorry. I feel terrible that I wasn't there," he assured her, as he tried to reach for her once more.

_She knew he had a point, but she still felt angry. Klaus had been there. Tyler had not. _

_He managed to pull her towards him once more, cradling her face in his hands, much like Klaus had earlier. _

"I'm sorry, okay? But what matters now is that you're okay, Elena's okay, everyone is okay," he said.

_Klaus was not okay. She was not okay. _

_She nodded anyways. _

_Turning away from his gaze, she fell against his shoulder. _

_They stood like that for a few minutes as she struggled to hold back tears. _

"Where were you going?" he finally asked her once they parted from their strange embrace.

_Her mind raced for an appropriate answer. She could have easily been honest with him, simply claiming she went to Klaus's because she thought Tyler might be there, or Elena, but she decided not to risk raising any more red flags. _

"Elena's; I was going to Elena's to wait for her or any news," she lied.

"Well let me take you there. Damon and Stefan are dropping Elena off at her house after they make a quick stop back at their place. Elena will want to see you," he informed her.

"Okay," she agreed.

_She needed this as much as Elena needed this. She needed a distraction. She needed to convince herself that this outcome was the best for everyone, herself included. _

_Klaus was gone for good. Fate would never intervene and push them together again. Despite everything, that reality depressed her. _

_She had no choice but to forget. _

"Tyler," she called as she followed behind him to his car.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Let's stop at the convenient store before Elena's...and give Matt and Bonnie a call; make sure they're coming to Elena's..." she requested.

"Why?" he asked confused.

"I think we have some celebrating to do," she said, mustering the best and brightest fake smile she could.

_He grinned and nodded as they both climbed in his car. _

_She had barely noticed the cool breeze outside, but as she got in the car a chill ran down her back and she rubbed her arms to remedy it. _

"Cold?" Tyler asked.

_Of course she never experienced cold, but she felt it for some reason nonetheless._

"I forgot a jacket," she noted.

"Here," he said as he reached with one hand into the backseat.

_Her eyes widened briefly as he handed her a red jacket; her jacket; the one she had worn to Klaus's and had forgotten absentmindedly in her rush to leave. _

"I found it at Klaus's," he explained.

_As she put the jacket on she waited for him to freak out. _

_The jacket smelt like Klaus. _

"Tyler...I..."

- "It doesn't matter now," he interrupted her.

_He smiled and kissed her hand. __After they stopped at the convenient store to pick up some celebratory liquor and snacks, they met Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt at Elena's. _

_None of them had really brought up the events of the day. Everyone preferred to forget about it and move on it seemed._

_So, she put on a brave face and acted accordingly. _

_Elena arrived shortly after as they were all in the kitchen preparing drinks and food. She could overhear Elena saying her good-byes to Damon and Stefan at the front door. _

"What are you guys doing here?" Elena asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Welcome to our victory party!" she announced happily.

_Elena looked surprised and confused. _

_Regardless of what happened to Klaus, seeing Elena in one piece had brought a genuine smile to her face. She had thought for sure one of them would not make it to the end of today. _

"What victory? We failed. Alaric's still out there," Elena reminded everyone.

_Everyone, including her scoffed at Elena's attempt to rain on their parade. _

"We know, but we've been trying to get rid of Klaus forever and Caroline convinced us to enjoy it for a night," Bonnie chimed in.

"Gonna be honest, I'm a little pissed none of you let me help you take down Original brother number two," Matt said to the group as he put his arm around Tyler.

"Yeah, he would have taken you right down to the hospital, bro," Tyler explained as she finished pouring shots of tequila for the group.

"Please, I'm more stealth than that. I'm like a ninja," he defended himself.

"Yeah, you wish," Jeremy joked as she brought Elena her shot.

"Here, you need this," she informed Elena, handing her the drink.

_Elena looked at her unsure. _

"I heard," she said to Elena as she nudged her head towards the front door, referring to Elena's speech to the Salvatores about her confused feelings. "And you know that sooner or later, you're gonna have to choose, right?" she told her friend.

"I know," Elena answered somberly.

_She rubbed Elena's arm in an effort to comfort her. _

"Give me your hand," Tyler said as he approached Elena.

_He poured salt on her hand. _

"Thank you for standing up to Klaus like that," Elena said to Tyler.

_She winced on the inside. _

"Let's just say it's been a long time coming," Tyler assured her, alluding to the sire bond.

"Way too long," she said as she put her arm around Tyler in an effort to conceal her lingering reservations. "Alright, let's drink!" she announced.

_That had been one of her better ideas all day. _

"I do not condone this, by the way," Elena said disapprovingly, staring directly at Jeremy.

"You survived Klaus, alright? Make an exception. You can go back to being responsible tomorrow," Jeremy argued.

"Okay," Elena replied, bringing the shot to her lips.

- "Hang on. Do you guys hear that?" Tyler interrupted, prompting everyone to pause from indulging in their shots.

_She looked at Tyler with concern, and tried to listen for what he heard. _

"That is the sound of a Klaus free life," he explained to everyone with amusement.

_Everyone laughed. She forced hers. _

"To a Klaus free life," Elena said, raising her shot glass.

_She had wanted this party to forget about him. Everyone was making that impossible. She was becoming light-headed. _

_Everyone raised their glasses in response to Elena's comment, and she followed suit apprehensively. _

"And to all of you. My family," Elena added.

"Cheers," everyone announced in a broken unison.

_She turned away from the group as she readily downed her tequila shot. The smooth burn of the alcohol felt good against her throat. Its numbing effect was almost instant. _

_While everyone else recovered and began to engage in conversation she poured herself another drink, eager to numb the pain even more; eager to completely block him out of her mind. _

_In time, he would mean nothing to her. _

_But now, he was all she could think about. _

_Her chest felt heavy, her stomach was in knots, and it was all she could do to keep breathing. _

_She could feel her throat constrict and her vision went blurry as her eyes glazed over with water. _

_Moving away from her friends discreetly, she slipped upstairs to the bathroom. _

_Once she was sure all three doors to the room were securely shut and the water tap was running, she finally allowed herself to break down. _

_The last time she cried like this was when her father died. She couldn't understand it. She didn't want to understand it. She simply let her emotions take the lead. _

_Turning from the invasive stare of the mirror, she slid down the bathroom vanity so that she was sitting on the floor tile. _

_Why the hell did his absence hurt her this much?_

_He couldn't be gone just like that. _

_In her emotionally reckless state, she did something she would probably live to regret. _

_Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she dialed Rebekah's number. _

_His siblings deserved to know what happened to him, she reasoned. They would come looking for answers. Eventually, they would find out. _

_Surely, they would be angry. They would likely try to retaliate despite the threat Alaric posed, but if she told them now, perhaps something could be worked out. She would talk to Elijah rather than Rebekah, knowing he would be more reasonable. _

"_I see Alaric didn't kill you. My brother must have __rescued you and Elena__," Rebekah answered. _

_She said nothing in response. _

"_Caroline, why are you calling me? I doubt you want to have another girl talk with me after this morning__," Rebekah said sarcasti__cally. _

_She inhaled sharply through her nose, making it blatantly obvious to Rebekah that she had been crying. _

"_Caroline, what's wrong? Is Nik okay?" Rebekah demanded. _

"_I need to speak to your brother Elijah," she said. "Do you have his number?" she asked. _

_Rebekah scowled. _

"_Whatever you have to say to him, you can say it to me," Rebekah urged. "Where is Nik?" she asked once more, clearly becoming emotional and agitated. _

"_Just give me the number!" she cried to Rebekah. _

"_Fine," Rebekah repl__ied. "I'll text it to you," she said bitterly before hanging up. _

_Within seconds, she received a text message from Rebekah with Elijah's phone number and she called it immediately._

_She waited anxiously for an answer. _

"_Caroline, Rebekah said you would be calling," Klaus's elder brother's voice informed her. _

_She wondered how Rebekah was able to tell her brother so quickly. _

"_So tell me, what news do you have of my brother Niklaus?" he asked._

* * *

**A/N: So did you like it? Let me know! **

**The jacket Caroline wore in 3x21 was it red or pink? I say red, but whatever. Maybe I'm colour blind.**

**The next chapter will probably be the last that incorporates original dialogue and content from the show. It will obviously focus on the season three finale. I haven't exactly decided how I want to approach it, but any insights, tips, comments, etc are much appreciated.**

**As I begin to plan the original portion of my fic, I'm also curious for your input. I like to take reader opinion into consideration as much as I can, while remaining true to my original intent. I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'm curious to know which one of Elena's friends you think should discover her affair with Klaus first and how? Logic would say either Tyler or Bonnie, but let me know your thoughts.**

**Also, I've been tossing a number of end scenarios around in my head and I'm curious to know in general what kind of ending you would like to see...happy? sad? bittersweet? I've been contemplating an idea for a continuation so would you be okay with something sad or bittersweet if it meant a happier ending may come later? Again, let me know your thoughts. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: WOW, I am so sorry for this late update. It wasn't my intention to take this long, but life and reality got in the way of my imagination. I hope its length makes up for its delay. **

**I also want to thank those of you who take the time read and review this. I especially want to thank you for all your responses to the questions I asked you last time. I enjoyed reading them and I'm definitely trying to take them all into consideration! **

**Please, please try to look past the spelling and grammatical errors that I'm sure are in this chapter somewhere. I was eager to give you an update! ****Enjoy!**

* * *

_She had informed Elijah of his brother's desiccation, but not much else. They didn't speak for long. The elder original sibling was one of few words. He had seemed contented by the news, but also alarmed, particularly at the prospect of his brother's body being hidden. Understanding the position she was in, he didn't inform her of his plans. Instead, he simply thanked her for her call under the circumstances and assured her that her part in this would not be shared and hung up. _

_It could only be assumed that he'd be making a trip to Mystic Falls in the near future; probably to try and retrieve Klaus's body. His imminent arrival made her anxious. She should have asked what his intentions were at the outset. _

_She could only hope that Elijah was holding enough of a grudge against Klaus to make some sort of a deal with her friends. As much as a part of her wanted Klaus back, deep down she knew that she didn't want to be responsible for his return. She knew that Elena could never live a free life as long as Klaus was in the picture. She didn't care for the hybrid-obsessed Klaus anyways. In time, perhaps Klaus could be restored. In the meantime, his desiccation would give Elena the life she deserved; and it would give her time to think about her feelings for him. Time was all she had now that she was a vampire. If she couldn't let go of her feelings for the original hybrid, she would wait for him. She would wait for Elena. _

_On the other hand, if Elijah came determined to wake his brother and allow his hybrid mission to continue, the guilt she was already harbouring would be a million times worse. She would essentially be putting her friend's efforts to stop Klaus back to square one. She would be endangering Elena...destroying her best friend's life and possibly her own. _

_Could she even trust Elijah not to share her involvement with everyone? What if he told them that she had been the person who called him? How would she explain that? Would she be able to pass it off as means to lessen the blow that would come anyways once Klaus's siblings found out what happened to him? Would they believe her? _

_Not long after that call, she dried her tears and fixed her makeup using some of Elena's. She crept back downstairs to the kitchen where none of her friends had seemed to notice her absence; they were too busy stuffing their faces with delivery pizza and pasta. Even Tyler was indulging, despite the fact that he no longer needed human food. On the one hand, seeing her friends preoccupied by something so lighthearted was great. On the other, she didn't share their enthusiasm. _

_She did however share their enthusiasm for alcohol, and she indulged readily as they ate. _

_The pizza made her think back to the one she had shared with Klaus only a few days ago. It was such a care free moment, much like the one her friends were having in front of her. The thought of eating pizza now unsettled her. _

_To her relief, once the pizza was devoured, Tyler suggested they head home. This was a safety precaution more than anything. The sun was setting and Alaric was still out there. The last thing anyone wanted was to be stranded outside in the darkness with him lurking in the shadows. She did not need another repeat of this morning. _

_You'd like him to kiss you again though, a voice whispered in her head, referring to her earlier embrace with Klaus. _

_The ride back to her house was quiet, aside from the small interruptions of small talk. They were avoiding all the big issues; Elena, Alaric, Klaus, etc. Instead, she and Tyler stuck to mundane topics like the warmer weather that was about to come as Mystic Falls delved further into Spring, and how many shots everyone had done at the last minute celebratory party. _

_Tyler had a few, but he was still sober. She had a few more. Her mind was buzzing softly, but she wasn't completely intoxicated. She just needed enough to console her; to keep her thoughts at bay. _

_When they arrived back at her house she said nothing when Tyler parked his car and followed her inside. _

_At first she thought she wanted to be alone, but she knew what being alone with herself would bring. Having Tyler around would force her not to think about things as much, and even though Alaric couldn't enter her house, Tyler being here would put her mind at ease a little more. She may have been second guessing her feelings for him, but she still felt safe with him. _

"I think I'm gonna put my pyjamas on," she announced as she started for her room.

_Sure, it was still early, but she had this overwhelming urge to wrap herself up in her warm flannel pyjamas her dad had bought her for Christmas last year. They weren't flattering on her by any stretch of the imagination, but that wasn't the point. Comfy clothes could brighten the darkest of moods._

_Tyler smirked cutely and nodded. _

"Find a movie to watch or something. We can watch anything you want; even something action. I don't care," she mused.

_Normally she would have put up a fuss when Tyler turned on those ridiculous macho shows or movies, but that didn't concern her now. She was hoping it would lull her to sleep on the couch anyways. _

_Tyler seemed surprised and satisfied. _"Sounds good," he agreed.

"Oh and there's some blood in the fridge if you're hungry," she added before turning back towards her room.

_She hurried to her room and closed the door only slightly. Once secure within the four walls of her bedroom she inhaled and exhaled deeply; the glum look returning to her face. It was a relief. She had been granted a brief reprieve in Elena's bathroom, but constantly having to act and hide her very raw emotions was severely tiring. _

_There was an urge to cry, but she no longer had the strength. _

_Opening a dresser drawer, she searched for the pyjamas she desired. _

_Having picked them out, she placed them on top of the dresser. _

_She paused to examine her face once more in the mirror. It was obvious to her, despite the makeup, she had been crying. Maybe she was paranoid; just seeing what she wanted to see because she was afraid someone else would. _

_Looking deeper into the mirror her face went blurry as she focused on her bed in the reflection. _

_Her eyes closed allowing flickering images of their most recent passionate embrace to flash in front of her as if she had been watching them. The images of her body overtop of his; his body overtop of hers; they instantly awoke all her other senses. She could literally hear their heavy breathing; feel his skin against hers; smell their frenzied lust; taste his lips. _

_When she opened her eyes and looked up, she gasped loudly, seeing Klaus's reflection in the mirror behind her. She couldn't quite read his expression. He appeared upset, but also regretful...maybe even apologetic. _

_She stepped away from the mirror, shutting her eyes once more, convinced that the apparition of him would disappear. _

_When her back stumbled into a body she jumped and spun around. _

"Whoa, it's just me," Tyler reassured her.

"Oh my god," she said in shock as she held the flat of her palm against her chest. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he said, with a small laugh.

_She exhaled, forcing herself to relax. _

"It's okay. I'm still a little jumpy," she admitted, turning back to her dresser for her pyjamas. "Did you find anything to watch?" she asked unconcerned.

_She watched him shake his head in the mirror as he approached her. _

"Not exactly," he informed her.

_His hands glided up her back and rested on her shoulders, massaging them slightly. _

_Her breathing hitched anxiously in response. _

_Brushing her hair to one side, he kissed her neck softly. _

"I thought we could entertain each other; have a little celebration of our own since your mom won't be home for hours," he explained.

_He kissed her again. She flinched. _

_She smirked, hoping to keep the situation light to let him down easy. _

"I'm not really in the mood, Tyler," she told him, hoping his ego wouldn't be offended.

_It was true; she wasn't in the mood after everything that happened today. Honestly, she wasn't interested in him; that was beginning to become clearer to her as the days passed. However, she was still undecided on how to deal with that gnawing little realization. _

"You know I can change that," he mused confidently, kissing her neck once more as his hand travelled down to her hip.

_She sighed._

_He turned her around and attempted to kiss her lips. _

_She shirked at his efforts and backed up. _

"No, Tyler. I can't. Not tonight," she said.

"Come on," he said playfully.

_He stepped towards her. _

"I said no," she restated firmly.

_His expression turned sour. _

"I don't understand you, Caroline," he said vaguely. "I mean, you've been in a weird mood all day," he clarified.

_She scoffed and shrugged at him. _

"Elena and I were almost killed today. Alaric, the one who almost made that happen for me, is still out there somewhere. Sorry Tyler, but that doesn't exactly put me in a good mood, or turn me on," she hissed defensively, almost in disbelief that he would be so unsympathetic.

_Tyler ran his hands through his hair. _

"But you were in a good enough mood to throw a party..." he said lowly as he noted her inconsistency.

"I did that for all of us. I thought it could be a good distraction..." she reasoned.

_He winced, and she knew she had hurt his feelings. _

"And I can't be a good distraction? Being with me won't make you forget for awhile? Make you feel better?" he asked.

"Don't make this personal, Tyler. It's not. The party didn't work either," she argued, hoping that would calm Tyler down.

_He sighed. _

"If anyone can make light of a shitty situation, it's you Care. That's why I don't get why you're so upset," he told her.

_He took her hand tenderly. _

"I mean, we got through so much shit today. You and Elena survived Alaric. Elena survived Klaus. Damon, Stefan, and I desiccated Klaus. Klaus is gone," he listed, gauging her reaction. "For good," he emphasized.

_When her frown did not transform into an agreeable smile, she knew she had aroused Tyler's suspicion. He dropped her hand. _

"That's it isn't it?" he said. "It's Klaus," he concluded.

_She shook her head in a panic. _

"What? What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Klaus! He's why you're upset," he stammered angrily.

_She rolled her eyes and turned away from his interrogating stare. _

"For the last time, this has nothing to do with Klaus," she lied. "Can't I just be upset that I almost died?" she asked sarcastically. "You're wrong," she added, biting her lip to suppress her tears.

_He looked at her unconvinced. _

"Am I?" he retorted, moving in front of her to confront her face to face. "Because all I know is that every time I mention him you get extremely defensive...and when I told you we desiccated him you seemed practically devastated," he explained. "Don't chalk this up to me being a jealous boyfriend, Caroline. I saw the way you looked at him last night at the dance; I saw the way he looked at you. I'm not stupid," he argued.

_She shook her head in denial as tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. _

"What do you want me to say?!" she cried.

"I want you to tell me the truth!" he shouted, pinning her between him and the dresser. "Look me in the eyes and tell me the fucking truth; tell me you feel nothing for him," he demanded.

_Her body was shaking violently with anxiety and fear. _

_She was tired of fighting; tired of lying. She couldn't go on pretending to feel something she didn't; she could not go on pretending to not feel something she did. She had to be honest with Tyler. The lies and betrayal were eating away at her. She could barely survive a few weeks under the pressure of deceit, let alone an eternity. The longer she prolonged the inevitable the harder it would be on the both of them. The weight of lies on her back would only grow heavier. The only way to rid herself of the burden would be to confess. _

_As she stared at him, the consequences of her past actions were becoming clearer. She was about to break a heart. Tyler would be ruined. She would be ruined. Tyler would be without her. She would be without her friends, but at least her conscience would be absolved. _

"Tyler...I-I..." she stuttered, before being interrupted by the sound of her phone.

_She had been on the brink of a cliff about to jump, but her phone had pulled her back from the edge. _

_Without a response for Tyler, she thrust towards the other side of the room with vampire speed to answer her phone. _

_It was Jeremy. _

_"Jeremy, what is it?" _

_"Hey, Elena collapsed. I took her to the hospital; Meredith says she has a minor concussion. Probably from earlier today when she hit her head at Klaus's," he explained._

"Oh my god, is she gonna be okay?" she asked as she looked worriedly at Tyler.

_"Yeah she's gonna be fine. Meredith wanted to keep her for observation, but I decided that was a bad idea with Alaric running around. Do you think you and Tyler could meet us back at our house?" Jeremy asked. _

_Still staring at Tyler, she debated Jeremy's question. It was such bad timing, but they had friends they needed to look out for. _

"Yeah of course. We'll be right over," she assured Jeremy. "Bye," she finished, before ending the call.

"What happened?" Tyler asked, as she scrambled to put some things into her purse.

"Elena collapsed after we left. I guess she hit her head earlier at Klaus's. She had a concussion. She's gonna be fine, but Jeremy wants us to go over there," she told him.

_Tyler looked frustrated and annoyed. _

"If she's gonna be fine, why do we need to go over there?" he asked.

_She shrugged. _

"Because Elena's our friend; because Jeremy's worried about Alaric," she said, almost defensively.

_Tyler wasn't purposely being a dick about Elena. His mind was preoccupied with other things. He was still waiting on an answer from her; one she no longer had the guts to give to him now. Their conversation would have to wait. _

_She didn't linger too long with him in her bedroom. She knew he would ask about their interrupted conversation if she did. _

_He seemed to understand that this was no longer the time to discuss Klaus, and he followed her out and drove them to Elena's. _

_They arrived just in time for her to help Elena inside the house. _

"Couch," she dictated to Elena.

_Elena nodded, but with a touch of defiance. _

"I'm fine. I just...I want something eat first," Elena decided.

"Jeremy went to pick up something at the Grill," Tyler assured her. "We're gonna go make sure no one is lurking in the closets," he added, referring to him and Matt.

_She smiled bitter sweetly at Tyler's efforts to help, despite the circumstances, as he and Matt walked upstairs. _

_She walked Elena to the couch. _

"Alright, couch, now!" she declared to her best friend.

_Elena scowled at her demands. _

"Ugh, I told you I'm fine," Elena said as she moved towards the couch on her own, while she grabbed her a blanket.

"Doctor says rest, you rest," she reminded Elena.

_She covered Elena with the blanket once she sat down. _

"Now, what can I get you? Do you want some tea, maybe some vodka? Both will help you sleep," she mused as she sat down beside Elena.

_When Elena stared at her blankly, she realized she was probably being overbearing. This was what she did though; how she coped with her own problems. She would pour herself into looking after other's problems so she didn't have to think about her own. _

"I know I'm being smothering. It's what I do," she acknowledged.

_Elena shook her head. _

"No, it's...it's nice," Elena reassured her.

_She sighed and fell back against the couch. _

"I'm thinking...maybe tea with vodka?" she suggested.

_Anything with alcohol sounded good to her at this point, even though she was only joking with Elena. _

_She believed she had done well by shielding her own unease behind jokes, but the look of concern on Elena's face told her otherwise. _

"Are you sure you don't need that drink?" Elena wondered.

_That prompted her to glance at Elena in puzzlement. _

"Caroline, what's wrong?" Elena asked.

"What?" she replied, playing stupid.

_Elena narrowed her eyes. _

"Come on, Caroline. I noticed you drank more than your fair share of the community booze this afternoon. You seemed upset and preoccupied. Now you seem like you're trying to avoid whatever it is that's bothering you by mothering me," she smirked, as if she had been successful at solving a mystery.

_She had. _

_Laughing lightly, she shook her head at Elena. _

"Nothing's wrong Elena...why would anything be wrong?" she denied.

_Elena shrugged and considered her question. _

"Well, for starters, we both almost died today...and Alaric is still out there somewhere. I'd completely understand if that was bothering you," Elena suggested.

_She didn't respond as she stared absentmindedly past Elena. _

"But that's obviously not it," Elena observed before sighing and resting her head against the back of the couch in defeat.

"I'm fine, Elena," Caroline assured her friend.

_Elena arched and eyebrow at her in disbelief. _

_She wished Elena was an impartial outsider to it all. She needed someone to talk to whom she could trust and who's opinion she valued. In almost all cases, Elena was this person. Where Klaus was concerned, she was not. _

"You know you can talk to me right?" Elena reminded her.

_She nodded appreciatively, even though she knew that she couldn't. _

"And you know you can talk to me too, right? Particularly about those Salvatore boys..." she hinted, eagerly searching for a way to change the subject.

_Elena shook her head knowingly as a small smirk, but overall guilty expression played on her face. _

"So what do you think Klaus's siblings are going to do when they find out about his desiccation?" Elena wondered aloud randomly.

_Elena's mention of Klaus instantly unsettled her. The fact that she had brought up his siblings unnerved her even more considering the phone call she had made earlier. _

_She shrugged. _

"Rebekah is probably going to flip her shit," she said finally in response. "I'm not sure about Elijah," she added.

_Elena nodded. _

"I know how Rebekah will react, but something tells me Elijah might be relieved that his brother is no longer out there destroying people's lives," Elena thought.

"You don't think he'll be upset? Klaus is his brother..." she reminded Elena.

"I know. That's why I was thinking about calling him," Elena replied. "I think he'll be furious if he finds out about Klaus after the fact. It's not smart to cross him. If I talk to him maybe something can be worked out. We need him on our side if we're going to keep Rebekah and Kol off our backs," she noted.

_For once in a long time, she experienced guilt being lifted from her shoulders. Perhaps she wouldn't have to regret calling Elijah after all. _

"I think that's a good idea," she agreed.

_Elena smiled contentedly. _

"I still can't believe Klaus is actually gone. Can you? It's almost too good to be true," Elena said.

_No, she couldn't believe that he was gone, but she didn't receive it as a pleasant surprise like Elena was treating it. It was too horrible to be true. _

_She shook her head in agreement with Elena's statements anyways. _

"Honestly though, I feel sorry for him. Deep down I think all he really wanted from the hybrids was companionship; someone to care about him and vice versa. Hence, his whole thing with Stefan..." Elena pondered.

_Hence, his whole thing with her, maybe, she thought. _

"He was lonely," she concluded.

_And if she could confide in her friend, she would have told Elena about the letters she found in Klaus's bedroom and their subsequent argument that seemed to confirm Elena's suspicions. _

"Do you think he actually liked you?" Elena asked nonchalantly, as if her question was that insignificant.

_It wasn't to her. _

_She shrugged. _

"I don't know...sometimes I think he did. Other times I think he was using me to get to you, or to piss Tyler off," she answered.

_That had really been one of the most genuine things she had said to Elena all night. She had been unsure and insecure about Klaus's intentions with her. _

_Her uncertainty prompted a flashback to one of their last night together in her room. She was lying amidst the mess of blankets, pillows, and sheets, basking in the afterglow of her orgasm, waiting expectantly for his lips to make their way from her torso up to hers. They had just reached one high, and already he was after another. She wasn't complaining, but she had been surprised by her enthusiasm. She had never been so enthralled and consumed by someone to be up for round two so soon after round one. The feeling was addictive, although she could not quite explain it. And then that's when he asked her. In the midst of it all, he had asked her to come with him. Did that confirm that he liked her? Or had he ask her merely as a means to make Elena more agreeable and Tyler more enraged? She could never be sure, but in secret, she was more partial to the former. _

"Luckily, you won't ever have to know the answer," Elena responded.

_Being reminded of Klaus's semi-permanent absence once again put her even more on edge. Talking about him was only making this worse for her. _

"I'm gonna go get us that tea," she announced, standing up from the couch, officially putting an end to their current conversation. _She hoped Elena would forget about when she returned. _

_It didn't matter anyways, because by the time the kettle was boiling, Elena was passed out on the couch asleep. _

_She smiled; happy her human friend was resting. She needed it after all she had been through today. _

_The buzz of her phone broke the silence, and she pulled the phone from her purse as quickly as she could so as not to wake Elena. _

_Her nerves anticipated it would be Elijah, but the caller I.D. said it was her mother. _

_She walked to Elena's hallway to answer the call, hoping that would shield some of the noise. _

"_Hello?" she answered. _

"_Caroline, y__ou and Tyler both need to come to his house as soon as possible. It's important," she said quickly. _

_Her mom's panicked voice took her off guard. _

"_What? Why? What's going on?" she rambled. _

_She noticed Matt and Tyler coming down the stairs. Tyler had his cell phone in hand and a concerned look on his face. _

"_I'll explain when you get here," her mother answered. _

_Now she was really freaked out. _

"_Okay. Bye mom," she said. _

"_See you soon," her mom finished. _

_She cancelled the call and eyed Tyler expectantly. _

"My mom just called me too," Tyler informed her. "We should go over there," he decided, looking between her and Matt.

_She nodded. _

"Can you stay with Elena until Stefan and Damon get back?" she asked Matt, not wanting to completely bail on her best friend.

"I didn't plan on going anywhere else," Matt answered with an understanding smile.

"She's sleeping on the couch," she informed him as she gathered her things.

"Let me know what's going on," Matt told them as she and Tyler headed for the front door.

* * *

_The drive to Tyler's had been one of the longest five minute drives of her life. _

_They had made small talk revolving around what their mom's might want to see them for, but that was quickly replaced by an awkward and penetrating silence. _

_Both knew the real issue they had yet to continue discussing, but neither of them seemed motivated to bring it up. _

_She certainly wasn't interested in bringing it up. She didn't know what she would say. She had come so close to telling him everything. She didn't know if she would ever get that kind of courage again. _

_It was almost a relief to arrive at Tyler's, even though she was just as anxious to hear what their mothers would have to say. Her mom had sounded so worried over the phone. _

"Mom?" Tyler called out as they stepped inside the house.

"In here!" his mom replied from the formal living room.

_They entered the room to find both their moms waiting for them expectantly. _

"Mom," she said, still surprised to see her at Tyler's with his mom; to see her so concerned.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked hesitantly.

_His mom sighed apprehensively. _

"Alaric outed us to the Council. He told them everything. The whole Council knows what you are," she explained.

_Suddenly it felt like her world stopped moving. She had experienced a few of those moments in the past few days. She was tired of it. _

_The Council knowing what they were was just another problem to add to her list. _

_This was not good news. It was terrible news. The last time the Council was aware of vampires, they tried to terminate all of them. _

"He's got them looking for Klaus and then they're gonna come looking for you. You can't be here when they do," her mom said.

_Her first thought: they were never going to find Klaus. Her second thought: what would that mean for Tyler and her? _

"What are you saying?" she asked her mom nervously.

_Her mom looked at her regrettably. _

"You both need to get out of town."

_Tyler's mom nodded in agreement with her mom. _

"I pulled together some cash and Liz will get you some new identification and we'll get school records..." she stammered, clearly improvising the plan.

_She did not feel reassured. _

_Tyler appeared no more confident than she did. _

"Whoa, wait a minute, you want us to run?" he asked.

_Both their moms nodded. _

"We can't protect you anymore," her mom admitted.

"If you stay, you're going to end up dead. You don't have a choice," Tyler's mom added.

_The weight on her shoulders grew heavier. Her lungs felt like they were being crushed by the new reality she was facing. She may have been a vampire, but first and foremost she was an eighteen year old girl. She didn't want to run from her home. She wanted to stay. She wasn't ready to leave her mom; not like this. She wasn't even sure she wanted to leave with Tyler. _

_She eyed her mom for guidance, who nodded back at her with urgency. _

"You need to leave as soon as possible," her mom pushed.

_Before she could respond, her cell phone began to sound from her purse. _

_She rushed to her bag as if eager for the disruption; eager to escape the present situation. _

"It's Stefan," she said to Tyler and their mom's, as if to justify the interruption.

_She answered the call immediately, worried that something might have happened to Elena, as she sped to the Lockwood study for some privacy. _

"Stefan? What is it? Is Elena okay?" she asked frantically.

"Don't worry. Elena's fine, but I need your help," he requested.

"What's going on?" she asked curiously.

"Listen, we don't have a lot of time so I can't get into specifics. Damon is still on the road with Klaus. I came back to check in on Elena...Elijah is here," he said, pausing.

_Her stomach tightened and her breathing hitched as she waited for Stefan to scold her for calling him. _

"He's going to help us get Alaric off of Damon's trail. Elijah's strength will help us disarm him," he explained. "We need your added strength to ensure we're successful."

_She bit her lip as she went to ask Stefan for the details of Elijah's arrival; they didn't have a lot of time. _

"Where do you want me to meet you?" she asked, disregarding her mother's insistence to leave town right away.

"Head to the woods on the outskirts of town by the old cemetery," he told her.

"Okay, I'll be there," she said.

_When she looked up from putting her cell phone back into her purse, Tyler was standing there with his arms folded under his chest. _

"What did Stefan want?" Tyler asked sternly.

_She glanced at him hesitantly; nervous about how he would react to her deviation from the plan their mothers had laid out for them; nervous about how he felt about that plan in lieu of their earlier conversation; and nervous that their previous conversation would be brought up once more. _

_Regardless of how she felt about it, she had to face Tyler. They had to get this over with. She needed to be strong. _

"Stefan really didn't explain too much, but from what I understand Elijah showed up at Elena's..." she said. "He obviously made some sort of deal with them with respect to Klaus, because he's going to help us distract Alaric from following Damon. He's going to help us get the stake from Alaric," she explained.

"And Stefan wants you to help?" Tyler asked seemingly unimpressed.

_She nodded. _

"Are you insane Caroline?! Alaric almost killed you once today," he said.

_She began to pace. _

"I know that Tyler. And he could very well succeed in killing me - all of us - if I don't help Stefan and Elijah get that stake," she reasoned. "We can't just leave town."

_He didn't appear swayed by her argument. _

"Yes we can," Tyler countered.

"But our friends need us," she challenged.

"Look, we are going to be killed by the Council if we don't leave town. Our mothers need us to stay alive," he lamented.

_She scoffed. _

"Running won't necessarily save us if Alaric still has that stake. It won't matter where we are if he uses it and kills the original you or I, or both of us descended from; we'll be dead," she reminded him, hoping he would see it from her perspective. "Alaric almost succeeded in killing Klaus today; Elijah and Stefan need my help," she added.

_Tyler shook his head in disapproval. _

"Stefan and Damon are going to do whatever it takes to protect themselves. I'm sure Stefan and Elijah can handle things. And if they can't, Klaus's siblings ran from Mikael for centuries, they can do it again with Alaric. We need to look out for ourselves, Caroline. This is our lives, and our most important concern right now is avoiding the Council. Let me protect you," he said adamantly.

_She let out a frustrated sigh as she leaned against his father's desk. _

"I'm surprised you even want to protect me after earlier," she said apprehensively as she stared at the floor.

_He approached her and stood in front of her dropped gaze. He clasped one of his hands around one of hers that she had been fidgeting with as she waited for his response. _

"I know something happened between you and Klaus while I was away," he said quietly.

_She looked up at him and scrambled to respond. _

"Tyler..."

- "I don't know what happened...I'm not even sure I want to know, but I know something happened; I knew it the second I confronted you about that drawing. I don't know what you feel for him, but I know your feelings go beyond fake smiles and friendship for the sake of Elena," he told her.

"Tyler..." she said again, hoping to explain herself fully.

"It's my fault," he said regretfully.

_She shook her head. _

_He squeezed her hand. _

"It is. I bit you, Caroline. I almost killed you. Klaus may have told me to do it, but I'm the one who let the sire bond control me. He saved your life..." he recalled. "I left you out of my own guilt..."

- "You left to break the sire bond," she interrupted.

"The point is I wasn't here for you when you needed me the most. Klaus was. I shouldn't be surprised that something happened between you; hurt yes, but not surprised," he said.

"Don't blame yourself," she urged him as tears began to escape from the corners of her eyes.

_He gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the anger she knew he felt. _

"I do. Nothing would have happened had I stayed here," he believed.

_He was probably right. She never would have been at the Grill that night she was first with Klaus. She would have been at home with Tyler, none the wiser to what she was missing out on. _

"But it did, and there's nothing either of us can do to change that now," he realized.

_She nodded as she wiped away the tears pooling above her cheeks. _

"I understand if you hate me," she whimpered.

"But I don't," he quickly assured her. "I mean, I'm mad...but I still love you."

_She couldn't believe what he was saying to her. _

"I could walk out right now and leave on my own, but I love you too much to do that," he said, sounding almost frustrated. "I would never forgive myself if the Council hurt you and I wasn't there to protect you all because I was too wrapped up in my own anger," he told her. "What's important right now is getting out of this town. Once we're safe, then we'll talk about where we stand," he finished.

_She wasn't even sure she was talking to the same Tyler anymore. She hadn't expected him to react this way. She was baffled by the shift he had taken. _

"Unless you don't want to leave with me and you're only using Stefan's plan as a stall tactic," he wondered.

_Participating in Stefan's plan was not a stall tactic for her. She genuinely wanted to help Stefan if it meant she and everyone she cared about would be safer. However, the minute their mothers had brought up the plan for them to leave town, she was unsure she wanted to leave with Tyler. It required a level of commitment that she was no longer certain she wanted to make, even if Klaus was as good as dead. Where else would she go though? She couldn't stay in Mystic Falls, and she didn't want to venture out on her own. Time, the voice inside her head reminded her. Perhaps time would allow her to reconcile her torn feelings. Maybe her feelings for Tyler would return. At the very least, he deserved a fair chance. _

"Tyler, I want to leave with you," she started. "But first, I have to help our friends," she told him, hoping he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

_He looked annoyed with her, but his face relaxed. _

"I don't understand...but I'll get stuff together and meet you at the cellar in two hours," he complied.

_She smiled appreciatively. _

"Deal," she said.

_He kissed her lightly out of habit, pulling away prematurely when he recalled his mixed feelings towards her. _

"We've gotta travel light, so what do you need?" he asked.

_She thought for a moment. _

"Nothing we can't get on the way; a change of clothes...maybe a curling iron," she said, laughing softly. "Oh! I have to tell Bonnie," she realized.

"I'll call Bonnie, okay? Two hours, don't be late," he told her.

_She nodded. _

"Be careful..." he urged her before kissing her on the cheek.

"I will," she replied.

* * *

_When she got to the woods near the cemetery Stefan and Jeremy were already there waiting. _

_She hadn't expected Jeremy to be there and looked at the both of them confused. _

"What's Jeremy doing here?" she asked Stefan.

"Jeremy's gonna go wait out at the road for Alaric. Alaric thinks he's defected. He's going to bring Alaric into the woods...to us, and that's when we'll grab him, get the stake, and then get the hell out of here," he explained.

_She looked at both of them worriedly. _

"Elena knows I'm here," Jeremy said. "I'll be fine," he assured her.

_Her thoughts quickly turned to Elijah. When Stefan made no effort to confront her about him, she assumed her name had not been mentioned in their conversation with him. _

"So is anyone going to tell me how Elijah fits into this plan?" she wondered.

_Stefan was about to fill her in but they were interrupted by a noise in the woods beside them. _

_They looked in the direction of the sound to see Elijah standing there. _

"Allow me," he offered, eyeing her with intrigue.

_She sucked in a breath and waited for him to finally tell Stefan that she was the one who called him in the first place even though he had promised her otherwise. _

"Alaric will be here soon, we should get into position," Stefan suggested instead.

"I'll escort Ms. Forbes to her place," Elijah said.

_Biting her lip to quell her nerves, she nodded reluctantly and stepped towards him. _

_He turned and she followed, giving a friendly glance to both Stefan and Jeremy as she passed. _

_They walked for a few minutes in silence, nothing but twigs and dirt complaining under their feet. She studied the side profile of his face as she thought about what to say, noting how at a certain angle he and Klaus appeared similar despite being only half-brothers. _

"So I want to express my gratitude to you in person for your phone call earlier. Given your position, I know it was not likely an easy call to make," he said first. "As a token of my appreciation, I give you my word that your friends will never know how I came to find out about Niklaus," he reassured her.

_She sighed in relief, hoping Elena was right about Elijah being honourable. _

_In time, perhaps she would tell her friends what she did, but now was not the time. _

"Thank you," she said.

_He nodded. _

"I am curious, however, to know what prompted your call..." he trailed off, waiting for her to answer.

_She knew he was trying for answers he already suspected, but she decided to play coy with him. _

"He's your brother, I thought you deserved to know," she said. "And I knew that if you found out after the fact we'd have another angry original to deal with; either because you care about your brother too much to let him go, or because you wanted to get rid of him yourself," she mused.

_It wasn't an entirely dishonest thing to say. It was true. Had they kept Klaus's desiccation from his siblings there would have been hell to pay when they found out. _

"You're very intelligent Ms. Forbes," he complimented.

- "Caroline," she interjected, smiling faintly.

"Caroline," he repeated. "You were also wise to speak with me instead of Rebekah. She would have reacted impulsively to your news; she and Niklaus are a lot alike in that respect," he explained.

"Well I knew you made deals with Elena in the past..." she started.

- "As I have once more," he interrupted. "So that's the reason you took a chance by calling me?" he asked.

_She shook her head. _

"You're lying," he observed casually; a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

_She forgot that she was dealing with a centuries old original vampire who had seemingly perfected the art of lie detection. _

_His eyes fell to hers as he looked at her with suspicion. _

"Rebekah tells me that you were carrying on an affair with Niklaus; that your relationship with him was of a romantic nature, is that true?" he asked bluntly.

_Her cheeks reddened and she laughed, partially out of embarrassment and partially at how he had phrased the question. _

_She debated what to say next, unsure if there was anything she could say to throw him off of his interrogation. He seemed to know everything Rebekah knew. _

"I wouldn't exactly call it romantic," she snorted, thinking about the unconventional "relationship" she had with Klaus, or "Niklaus" as Elijah had so fondly referred to him as.

_On the face of things, their short relationship had never been romantic; they never shared an awkward dating phase; he hadn't had the chance to kiss her chastely on the cheek after their first date; he never bought her flowers, or even asked her to be his girlfriend; of course not, since he was Klaus and she was technically cheating on Tyler; they barely talked; they never made love. But underneath the formality of it all, buried within the drawings, the dress, the bracelet, the horse ride, the dinner, the conversation, the sex, lied subtle hints of romance. _

_He glanced at her. _

"So you never shared Niklaus's bed then?" he asked.

_She gasped with a smirk. _

"Excuse me?"

_He chuckled. _

"Forgive my old English. You and my brother have never 'hooked up'?" he clarified with an amused expression on his face.

_She glared at him, surprised by his invasive question. _

"Why are you asking me something you already likely know the answer to?" she stalled.

"Well I know my sister has a tendency to be overdramatic. I'd prefer that you confirmed her gossip. I'm merely trying to determine your motivations..." he revealed.

_Her brows furrowed at him; feeling as though she was being critically assessed and challenged. _

"Maybe I'd like to figure out your motivations for asking me such a question?" she proposed. "If I said 'yes,' how do I know you aren't going to blackmail me or something?" she asked defensively.

_He laughed. _

"Your phone call would have sufficed for the purposes of blackmail. I have no intentions of blackmailing you; after all I am indebted to you for your call about Niklaus in the first place. As I said, I merely want to understand what prompted your..."

- "Okay, okay, we slept together. Is that what you wanted to hear? Would you like all the details?" she interrupted, annoyed by his interrogation.

_He shook his head. _

"No. No. That is sufficient," he answered. "But I thought you were with Tyl..."

- "I was...er am. I made a mistake," she interrupted again.

"And what mistake would that be? Sleeping with my brother, or sleeping with my brother while you were with Tyler?" he mused.

_She grumbled under her breath at his ability to ask the tough questions. She was beginning to sound like her conscience or something. Admittedly, she felt herself beginning to break under his pressure. _

_She didn't answer him. _

"Given your phone call, I would say the latter," he concluded.

_Again, she hesitated before replying. _

"So you think I called you because I slept with Klaus?" she asked, hoping he could hear the annoyance and agitation in her voice.

_He laughed. _

"No. I don't think you called me because you slept with my brother. I think you called because you're in love with him," he stated, stopping to turn towards her.

_Her whole body stiffened with his words. He barely knew her. This was the first conversation they had ever shared. How could he know something she didn't even know herself? _

"Are you?" he inquired.

_She arched her eyebrow and stared at him with distaste in response to his question as she tried to hide the rising emotion within her. _

_He lowered his head, almost in shame. _

"Forgive me. You do not have to answer that. It was rude of me to ask. The secrets of a woman's heart are very personal," he apologized.

_She scoffed in disbelief at his strange other-worldly manners; she appreciated them nonetheless. _

"But the secrets of her bed are not?" she retorted smartly, referring to his earlier intrusive questions about her sexual history with Klaus.

_She was hoping the witty comment would be enough to stifle her emotional response, but she was tired of hiding her feelings; tired of pretending she was okay; tired of having no one to talk to. _

"I don't know, okay?" she answered as her eyes stung with tears. "I don't know what I feel for him. I don't know if it's love," she stammered frustratingly. "How can I have feelings for him after everything he's done?" she wondered.

_He eyed her sympathetically. _

"It wasn't my intention to upset you," he explained, handing her a handkerchief from his pocket.

_Despite her mini-break down, she couldn't help but laugh at this latest old-world custom of his. She took the material appreciatively and patted her eyes. _

"All I know is that the last thing I want is Klaus desiccated at the bottom of an ocean for eternity," she declared, knowing as much to be true.

"How do you know the deal I made with Elena still doesn't involve that scenario?" he wondered.

_She handed him back the handkerchief and stared at him disapprovingly. _

"Rebekah may be willing to go along with your efforts to reach a civilized compromise, but she would never let you do that to Klaus," she said confidently. "Besides, if you wanted him gone that badly, you would have killed him when you had the chance during his attempt to break the curse," she reminded him.

_He seemed impressed by her response. _

"Well I suspect the terms of my deal with Elena will give you an adequate length of time to determine your feelings for my brother and resolve your clear conflict of interest," he said mysteriously.

_She looked at him curiously. _

"Damon will give Rebekah Niklaus's body on the condition that I help disarm Alaric, and then leave town with Klaus's desiccated body when it is done. My siblings and I will spend the next half-century or so evading Alaric, until Elena ultimately succumbs to a human death..." he explained.

_It seemed like a simple deal, she thought. _

"You understand that in order to ensure Elena's safety and that of her immediate descendents, as well as to teach my brother a lesson, Niklaus will not be revived for some time," Elijah emphasized.

_She nodded. _

_This was the best case scenario for everyone. As per the deal, they would no longer have to worry about Alaric running around with a lethal weapon; Elena could rest easy for the duration of her life knowing that Klaus would never be on the hunt for her; and she would have all the time in the world to clear her head and figure things out...what she wanted. More than that, she would no longer have to worry about betraying her friends once Klaus was revived. _

"The deal is best for everyone. He tried to kill my best friend today...again. I'm not exactly his biggest fan right now," she informed him.

"And yet you still called me..." he mentioned. "I'm sure it wasn't Niklaus's intention to hurt you. As I said, he's impulsive; impulsiveness and desperation are a dangerous combination. He's been pursuing the idea of hybrids for centuries. He's persistent. Niklaus does not give up easily on the things he wants. Backed into a corner as he was today, he reacted and tried to salvage his hybrid dream by any means necessary. It was nothing..."

- "Nothing personal?" she finished for him unimpressed.

_He shook his head bemusedly. _

"Listen, I don't condone Niklaus's quest for hybrids, but I understand it. Outwardly it was always about securing protection from our father. Inwardly, it was about creating a family to which he could feel he belonged," he told her as he looked out pensively into the night fog. "For some reason Niklaus never felt like he fit in with our family," Elijah said regretfully.

"You can't just give up on something like that after years of tirelessly lusting after it. You must know that despite the often gruesome means he employs to reach that end, all of it is motivated by a lingering and forceful humanity that lies somewhere within him," Elijah continued defending his brother.

_She sighed, almost feeling completely sorry for Klaus. Elijah had basically explained what she had begun to discover about the original hybrid. All of his destruction was done out of a dire urge to belong; to matter to someone. _

"Niklaus is afraid of actually getting what he wants because he knows that real trust and loyalty can be fleeting and unpredictable. The sire bond is unfaltering and controllable. It's a defense mechanism shielding him against the true vulnerability that comes with a genuine reciprocal relationship with someone else," he expanded.

_It made perfect sense to her. _

"It's frustrating," she scowled.

_He smirked and nodded at her. _

"Indeed. That's the Niklaus I've known for centuries," he sympathized.

"Was he ever any different?" she wondered.

_He grazed his top teeth over his bottom lip as he considered her question. _

"When he was human," Elijah recalled. "Niklaus has always had an underlying insecurity about him, but he didn't let it control him. He enjoyed life...he was adventurous...he laughed, he loved," Elijah reminisced.

_She nodded appreciatively at his willingness to share his personal memories. _

"If it's any consolation to you, according to my sister, Niklaus was quite taken with you," he told her.

_She was thankful for the darkness of night to hide the small smile tugging at her lips and the pink colouring her cheeks. _

"Rebekah said that Niklaus had even asked you to leave with him once he had Elena..." Elijah said with such a tone that established it more as a question to be answered.

"He did," she answered.

"And you refused him?" he asked.

"I did," she replied.

_He seemed intrigued. _

"As long as he's after Elena, I always will," she stated definitively. "He should know that."

"Elena is lucky to have such loyal friends as yourself," he complimented.

_In that moment she felt a tiny surge of guilt bubble up to her chest. _

"Well lately I haven't been as loyal as I should be," she confessed, referring obviously to Klaus.

"It's not easy choosing between your heart and your conscience," he advised, helping to ease the burden of guilt that had resurfaced within her. "If anyone should understand that, it's Elena," he added.

"You would think...but Klaus has hurt her too much. I don't think she could see past that to understand where I'm coming from," she admitted.

"Perhaps, but you might be surprised," he offered.

_She shrugged indifferently. _

"There's no use in telling Elena about it now. Klaus and I are done for the foreseeable future anyways," she said; finding the very reminder of his extended absence unsettling.

"And what do you plan to do for the foreseeable future?" Elijah asked.

_She frowned, reminded of the fact that she would be leaving Mystic Falls shortly. _

"Alaric told the Council what Tyler and I are as a way to undermine the influence of our mothers and restart the hunt for all things supernatural. Once they give up on Klaus, they'll come after us," she informed Elijah.

_Elijah looked at her concerned. _

"You are more than welcome to accompany me and my siblings," he offered considerately.

_She was kind of taken by surprise with his suggestion. She barely knew him and yet here they were having such a candid conversation and he was now offering her his protection. It seemed too good to be true, but there was honesty in Elijah's eyes that told her she could trust him. The offer was tempting given the rocky nature of her relationship with Tyler, but she still didn't feel right about accepting. _

"Thanks, but I'm leaving town tonight with Tyler," she said hesitantly, unsure of how Elijah would respond to that.

_His contorted expression hinted that he was confused. _

"I know. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but I can't just leave by myself; I've barely left Mystic Falls my whole life. I need familiarity. I trust Tyler," she reasoned.

"Is he aware of your feelings for my brother?" he questioned.

"He suspects something. But we both agreed what's most important right now is getting out of this town alive. I'll tell him what happened once we're safe," she said, defending her decision.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Elijah wondered.

_His question prompted her to second guess her decision. _

"Well I think it's better than having a rushed two minute conversation before we have to run for our lives," she answered back, hoping her explanation would be enough.

_He nodded. _

_They both listened quietly to the night air for a few moments. _

"How do you think Klaus will be in a century or so?" she asked apprehensively.

_Elijah smirked slightly. _

"You mean, will Niklaus remember you?" he asked, sensing her underlying concern.

_She looked innocently at him and shook her head, affirming his correction. _

"From what I understand of the spell, when Niklaus is rejuvenated with human blood, he'll pick up where he left off," he said. "Unfortunately, that means he'll remember both the good and the bad," Elijah reminded them both. "I don't imagine he'll be very pleased with your friends for desiccating him; nor will he be pleased with me for prolonging it," he concluded.

"Will he be able to find me when he comes back?" she asked curiously.

_He shrugged, trying to hide another grin, obviously amused by her interest in Klaus. _

"If Niklaus wants to find you, then he will," he assured her.

_She accepted what he said with a self-conscious nod, fully aware that he might never want to find her. _

"I'm sorry, but I cannot give you any more reassurance than that," he explained sympathetically.

"I know," she answered shakily.

_Elijah looked down at the expensive looking watch adoring his wrist. _

"Stefan should have texted me by now," he noted, reaching inside the pocket of his jacket for his cell phone. "Nothing," he observed as he scanned through the contents of the phone.

_His controlled panic worried her and she focused in on the area around them for any sign of danger. _

"Was this where we were supposed to wait?" she asked, wondering if maybe their conversation had distracted him.

"Yes," he proclaimed confidently as he too began to search the forest around them for any hint of a problem. "Something is wrong," Elijah said. "I can sense it."

_She wasn't about to question his judgement. _

"We should find Stefan," she suggested.

_Elijah agreed, and both of them sped back to where they had originally left him. _

_To her relief, they quickly located both Stefan and Jeremy. _

_However, the sombre looks on both of their faces instantly raised red flags for her. Something was wrong. _

"What happened?" Elijah asked before she had the chance.

_Stefan stared at them almost absently._

"Stefan?" she demanded.

"Our plan didn't work," he said regretfully.

_Both she and Elijah waited for him to continue. _

"Alaric found Damon and Rebekah at the storage lockers where Damon was keeping Klaus's body..." Stefan started.

_She heard Elijah suck in a breath sharply. _

"Alaric staked Klaus; Klaus is dead," Stefan revealed.

_There had been too many of these moments in her life lately; those moments where everything comes to a crashing stop; when it feels like the world has stopped spinning; when it's a struggle to speak or even breathe. _

_Klaus was dead. No longer was he just desiccated, he was gone for good. A sharp pain dug through her chest as that fact began to sink in. _

_More than that, Klaus's death had such a domino effect on everything else that it took her a few seconds to tally up the implications. _

_Klaus's blood had created Tyler. Tyler would die. _

_And if it was his bloodline that established her, Stefan, and Damon, then they were all dead too. _

"I have to find Tyler," she said blankly, still in disbelief.

_Stefan nodded and she hugged him, knowing this could be the last time either of them would see each other. _

_Pulling away, she exchanged knowing glances with both Jeremy and Elijah before rushing off. She hoped Tyler would be waiting for her at the Lockwood cellar like they had agreed on._

* * *

_He could hear her sobbing frantically from inside the cellar as he rushed to meet her like Tyler had promised her. Obviously she had heard the news about his apparent death. _

_Her cries unsettled him, but he readied himself to face her as Tyler. She had to believe it was Tyler. _

_Nobody could know that he was still alive so long as Alaric was still out there._

"Caroline?" he called out anxiously as he entered the cellar, still getting used to the sound of Tyler's voice rolling off of his – Tyler's – lips.

"Tyler! Oh my God," she cried out.

_He rushed towards her, reminding himself of how Tyler would likely respond in such a scenario. _

_Of course, it didn't take much thought since the sight of Caroline upset garnered a response from him similar to one that he suspected Tyler would give. _

_She wrapped her arms around him and held him against her tightly. _

_The feeling made him shudder unexpectedly as warmth filled him, but he shrugged it off quickly._

_He knew he would have to constantly remind himself that she believed him to be Tyler. She wasn't holding onto him for dear life, she was holding onto Tyler. _

"Hey. Sorry, I was just with Bonnie," he informed her, hoping she would buy it.

"What happened?" he asked her, playing the fool, as they pulled apart.

"Klaus died. He's dead," she sobbed as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

_He could only wonder to himself if a part of her was crying for him. _

_Letting his facade slip for a moment, he hurriedly forced an expression of surprise and dark realization. _

"You're going to be fine, Caroline," he told her, knowing she suspected her own death was also imminent.

_She shook her head. _

"No, it's not me I'm worried about," she whimpered.

_He shrugged. _

"There's no point. I'm a lost cause, but you're strong and you have a beautiful future ahead of you. And when you make it through this, just tell my mother I left town like I was supposed to, okay?" he told her, hoping it sounded like something Tyler might say to her if he knew he was about to die.

_Still forgetful about his body swap, he was taken aback when she kissed him. Although confused by her actions, he supposed he couldn't blame her for kissing Tyler given the circumstance she believed to be in. _

_She kissed his cheek and pulled him close once more. _

_He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a moment to indulge. _

_She had to leave. As much as he enjoyed the sympathy kisses, he knew they were not for him anyways, and he needed time to figure out his next move. _

_Deciding to test his dramatic acting skills, he groaned in pain and collapsed to the floor. _

"Do you feel anything?" he asked as he stood back up.

"No, I feel fine," she said, a panicked expression rising on her face.

"I need you to get out of here. I don't want you to watch me die," he told her.

_She shook her head defiantly. _

"No, I'm not leaving," she stated.

_He bowled over again, crying out in pain. _

_She followed him down worriedly. _

"I'm staying," she said firmly and attentively.

"No," he argued.

"Yes!" she said.

_He had clearly underestimated the lingering feelings she had for Tyler. Then again, he had to remember she was convinced that he – Klaus – was already dead, and that Tyler was about to die. He would have to try harder. _

"You run. Or I'll make you run," he threatened.

"I'm not leaving," she said steadfastly.

_He forced the beginnings of a wolf transformation to frighten her into leaving. She had escaped death enough today, certainly, she would not take a chance again. _

"Go!" he shouted.

_Her entire demeanour had changed, and he knew he had succeeded. She had given up. Crying hurtfully and helplessly, she rushed out of the Lockwood cellar, leaving him alone to wonder if she would ever forgive him as he waited for Bonnie's arrival. _

_Time would tell. _

_His main concern now was returning to his own body._

* * *

**A/N:**

**So I hope you aren't getting too frustrated yet with the lack of Klaus and Caroline moments, I promise that good things come to those who wait! I hope the part with Caroline and Elijah will suffice. However, I need to clarify now that I have no foreseeable intention in establishing Calijah, or Eline? In case anyone was wondering. Their budding friendship is completely innocent. **

**I know some of you had suggested that I diverge from the final episode of season 3, but it has been my intention all along to stay as true to it as possible. Please know that from this point on, my fan-fiction will probably differ greatly from what the producers of TVD have in store for season 4. However, I do have plans to work in some of the elements from season 4 that have been hinted at and/or confirmed.**

**Also, I ask for your patience as you wait for another update. The next chapter will be entirely fresh material, so it will take me some time to work out the details. I know how I want this fic to end; it's just paving the way to that ending that is giving me difficulty.**

**In the meantime, I have another question for you that I completely (stupidly) forgot to ask you all the last time. How do you want Caroline to discover that Klaus is in Tyler's body? Again, I'm curious to know what you readers of my fic would like to see and how it compares with my ideas. As usual, if you have questions of your own to ask me, feel free to! **

**I feel like I'm forgetting to add something yet again, but I digress. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews and comments I appreciate them! **

**Once more I apologize for the delay. Writer's block coupled with a very hectic past couple of weeks was not very conducive to getting this chapter out. Plus this chapter is super long! ****So this is where my fic begins to depart from canon. Given that the new season of TVD is about to begin, I want to remind you that I don't intend for my fic to closely resemble season 4, seeing as I've already have a general idea of where my fic is going to go. Also, I want to note that my main focus is Klaus and Caroline, therefore Elena's transition will not be the main focus of my story. **

**I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors. **

**Don't let the length of the chapter discourage you from reviewing. Please continue to leave me your thoughts and comments, I love hearing from you all!**

* * *

_She ran frantically and aimlessly through the woods at human speed. The urge to run came from a desperate desire to distract herself; to feel its calming effect. If she didn't run, she knew her vampire nature may push her to quell her rollercoaster of emotions through more violent means. _

_Her sobs echoed through the trees while the cool night air pierced her tear stained cheeks like small knives. _

_She didn't know where she was running to. Certainly not back to her car. She had nowhere to go; nobody to go to. Klaus was dead; Tyler was dead. _

_She considered locating Stefan, Elena, Matt, or Bonnie, but she didn't want to see them now. Telling them of Tyler's death was enough. They couldn't understand; they wouldn't understand. They would console her about Tyler, but that would only be half of it. She didn't want to hide half of her pain. She no longer had the energy. _

_Spilling her guts, heart, and tears to her mother wasn't an option either. _

_The only comfort she had was her home, and even that was threatened by the prospect of the Council coming after her. _

_It seemed like everywhere she turned in her mind she hit a road block. She was cornered; she felt trapped. _

_As she moved waywardly through the woods she forced herself to think about what she would do next; how she would tell her mom and Mrs. Lockwood about Tyler "leaving town" without erupting into tears; how she would escape the Council's wrath; where she would go. _

_Regardless of how much she tried to concentrate, thoughts of Klaus and Tyler's deaths penetrated to the fore of her mind. _

_She recalled her last exchange with Klaus. Even if he had been there mostly for Elena, he had saved her indirectly by pushing her out of the school. He had scolded her for not escaping Alaric, as if he cared for her; as if the possibility of her death had frightened him. They shared two fleeting kisses, as if to hastily apologize for any and every sour moment between them. She told him to be careful, as if that conveyed how much she cared for him. _

_Although her final moments with Klaus could have been more severe, she was still filled with regret. Her conversation with Elijah only affirmed the feeling. She would never know what could have been with Klaus. She would never get the chance to tell him how he made her feel. If she survived, she would live for eternity under the shadow of that fact. _

_And then there was Tyler. She may have realized that her feelings for him had changed, but his death still upset her. She still cared for him. She had treated him terribly in the last few weeks of their relationship. He had done nothing to deserve it. Now she would never get the chance to give him the honesty he rightfully demanded of her. She would never get to apologize. _

_She was breathing rapidly as she broke out onto a trail within the confines of the trees. _

_The darkness had disoriented her; she was unfamiliar with this area in the dark, but she felt like she had been here before. As she propelled down the trail towards the clearing, the feeling became real. She had been here before. _

_This was the trail Klaus had taken her down when they went horseback riding. _

_Her entire body tensed at the memory and she seriously considered turning around. _

_However, she was already in the open field - Klaus's backyard - before she could act. _

_Lights illuminated the back of his house, and she noted that several lights were on inside as she descended the hill towards it. _

_Inexplicably, she was drawn to it like a magnet. _

_She didn't know what she expected to find by returning to his house. Surely, he wouldn't be there waiting for her. Perhaps seeing it one last time - seeing his things - would give her closure. _

_As she rounded the house to the front, she hesitated. The interior lights suggested someone was there, but who? Should she knock, or just enter? _

_Disregarding the common courtesy given the circumstances, she entered through the unlocked front door, knocking only slightly as she did so. _

_The once brightly lit large front foyer was simply lit by the dim wall sconces that decorated its perimeter. _

_Boxes and crates were scattered about the room; a reminder of Klaus's intention to leave Mystic Falls before he had been desiccated. _

_Earlier this morning she had been scolding Tyler for bailing on clean-up duty at the high school for helping Klaus pack; how quickly things change, she thought to herself as she walked slowly down one of the hallways. _

_Now she was mourning both of their deaths. _

_She could smell fire and feel the presence of another vampire as she rounded the corner into one of the sitting rooms. _

_Her guard instantly went up as she considered the possibility that Alaric could be the vampire she sensed. Klaus would have scolded her for being so naive. _

_When she saw Elijah staring absently into the flames contained within the fireplace, her shoulders dropped and she sighed in relief. _

_He turned slightly to acknowledge her presence; passing her a solemn glance. _

_The sight of his face instantly triggered a surge of tears. _

_Although only half-siblings, she could see Klaus's face in the subtle features of Elijah's. _

_The reminder of Klaus only underscored for her once more that she would never see him again. _

_She felt the need to contain her emotions in Elijah's presence, but he was the only one knew anything of her deep feelings for Klaus; the only one who wouldn't judge her or use her feelings against her. She felt no guilt or shame here with him; she felt safe. _

_With that, she unleashed her tears and relieved the painful throb in her throat. _

_She shook when Elijah bolted towards her from across the room. _

_He stopped in front of her, but she avoided eye contact. _

_She knew that looking at him further would only trudge up more painful emotions. _

"I'm sorry," he said.

_Before he could even finish his sympathetic remark she collapsed against him from emotional and physical exhaustion. _

_She whimpered into the lapel of his suit jacket as her tears soaked into the material. _

_As she hoped, he did not reject her.  
_

_He brought her into a consoling embrace. _

_This was the brother of Klaus; he had been a dangerous foe in his own right according to her friends; but this softer side was all she personally knew of him. His response did not seem strange to her. _

"I heard about Tyler," he commented.

_His mention of Tyler only provoked her to cry harder; the memory of their last moment together; her betrayal; the guilt; all of it still fresh in her mind. _

_She clenched the edges of his jacket as she rested her head against his chest. He hugged her protectively as he attempted to stroke her knotted hair in a way that might be comforting. His efforts briefly amused her before reality snatched her focus back. _

_They stood there for a few moments as she concentrated on regaining her bearings. _

"You were right," she said finally, knowing this was the only way she could hope to attain even a small amount of peace of mind.

"Right about what?" he asked.

"I love him," she sobbed.

_She pulled away from him and rubbed her eyes, numb to the sting that pierced them as she did so. _

_It was something she never expected to feel; something she never thought she would ever admit to herself let alone someone else. Yet, the words seemed to pour out of her. _

_The sudden realization hurt. _

"And now he's dead. I realized it too late. He'll never know," she winced.

_Elijah regarded her thoughtfully. _

_She admired how calm and reserved he was given the circumstances. She could tell he was hurting, but he seemed to be coming to terms with everything far better than she was. _

"Where ever Niklaus is now, he knows," Elijah tried to assure her.

_Combing her fingers through her hair, she shook her head. _

"Then there's Tyler," she dwelled. "I hurt him. I never got to tell him the truth. I never got to apologize," she cried.

_Elijah pulled her forearms down from her face. _

"And where ever Tyler is, he knows too," he attempted to reassure her. "If they cared for you at all - as I suspect they did - I don't think either would want you to punish yourself for things you have no power to change," he said further.

_She rubbed her lips together as she struggled to internalize his words. _

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have come here," she told him truthfully.

"You need not be sorry, Caroline," he urged. "I was just collecting some of Niklaus's things before Rebekah and I depart to meet Kol," he informed her.

"You're leaving?" she confirmed.

_He nodded. _

"Alaric is still alive. He wants us dead. Surely this is the first place he'll come to look for us. It's not safe here," he concluded.

"Right," she acknowledged, feeling stupid for completely forgetting the threat Alaric posed.

"Once the Council discovers my brother's death, Mystic Falls will no longer be safe for you either..." Elijah reminded her.

_She knew as much, but it had been a tiny fact shoved temporarily to the back of her mind for the moment. _

_Feeling almost apathetic, she shrugged. _

_It wasn't her personality to feel so depressed and hopeless, but with everything that had happened, the option of letting the Council capture her had crossed her mind. _

_Elijah looked at her worriedly. _

"You aren't thinking of remaining here, are you? Its suicide," he asked her seriously.

_She hesitated. _

"I have nowhere to go," she said, almost in a whisper.

"Don't be foolish," he chided. "My offer still stands."

_She glanced at him confused. _

"But Klaus is dead," she said.

"What's your point?" he replied.

"There's no reason for you to protect me," she countered.

_He disregarded her reasoning. _

"It's what Niklaus would have wanted," he told her.

_Her lips widened into a small, but appreciative smile. _

"I don't want to inconvenience you," she said apprehensively.

_He shook his head and smiled. _

"You're not an inconvenience, Caroline," he assured her.

_She sighed and reconsidered his offer. _

_With the Council aware of what she was, she couldn't stay in Mystic Falls; but she didn't know where to go; she didn't want to go alone. Klaus was dead, Tyler was dead; and she wasn't about to ask one of her other friends to give up their lives to leave with her. _

"Okay, I'll go with you," she accepted.

_She exhaled sharply with her answer as if to release the hesitation and anxiety she was experiencing with such a significant choice. _

_He smiled faintly. _

_Before he could reply, or before she could ask him for any details, her phone began to sound inside her jacket pocket. _

_She gave an apologetic look to Elijah before focusing on her phone. _

_The caller I.D. told her it was Stefan. _

_She debated whether or not to answer. Perhaps she should start cutting ties with her old life now? Answering the call could push her to reconsider her decision. _

_Knowing there was a chance Stefan could have news of any latest developments with respect to Alaric, she opted to answer. _

_"Hello?" she asked nervously, as if Stefan somehow knew of her most recent choice to leave Mystic Falls and she expected him to confront her. _

_"Caroline," he replied. _

_The tone of his voice was depressed and weary. _

_Something was wrong. _

_"Stefan, what is it?" she asked, cutting to the chase. _

_He sighed. _

_"It's Elena..." he trailed off. _

_Her eyes widened. She didn't like where this was going. _

_"What about her?" she panicked, glancing up at Elijah, who seemed to be mirroring her own look of concern. _

_"She and Matt were in a car accident. They were coming back to Mystic Falls and he drove off of Wickery Bridge. He swerved to miss Rebekah," he explained. _

_Her hand went to her mouth in shock as she stared directly at Elijah. _

_"Are they okay?" she asked shakily. _

_"Rebekah called me just before. She alluded to what she was going to do. I tried to get to them as fast as I could, but the truck was submerged when I got there. Elena was conscious and I went for her, but she told me to save Matt...instead," he described; the emotion evident in his voice. "And I did," he said, almost regretfully. _

_"Oh my god," she gasped as more tears glazed over her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "She's gone?" she squeaked, needing the confirmation; needing to know that this was not a part of some terrible nightmare. _

_"I couldn't save her," Stefan said; his voice cracking. _

_She cried lightly, but kept her focus on Elijah's reactions. _

_This couldn't be happening. She couldn't lose someone else. Moreover, she couldn't lose someone else because of her actions. She had called Elijah. Rebekah wouldn't have been near Mystic Falls or Elena had she not made that call. _

_"When Elena was at the hospital earlier tonight, her injuries were more severe than we thought..." Stefan started. "Meredith gave her..."_

_- "...vampire blood," she interrupted, sounding both relieved and saddened. _

_"When she wakes up, she'll be in transition," Stefan confirmed. _

_"Where are you?" she asked. _

_"I'm at the hospital with her. Her body was taken to the morgue," he answered. _

_"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said quickly, ending the call without another word. _

_She disposed of the phone back into her pocket and narrowed her eyes at Elijah. _

"What happened?" he asked.

_She scoffed at him. _

"Don't pretend like you don't know," she hissed angrily.

_His dumbfounded look persisted. _

"Elena's in transition..." she told him.

_He appeared shocked by the news. _

"H-how can that be?" he stuttered.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Dr. Fell gave her some vampire blood earlier tonight when she went to the hospital from her head injury at Klaus's. When Matt was driving her back to Mystic Falls he swerved off of Wickery Bridge to miss _your_ sister," she emphasized. "Stefan could only save Matt; Elena told him to," she explained sternly.

_He shook his head as if he was as stunned as she was. _

"I guess that solves your Alaric problem," she said scornfully. "I knew I made a mistake calling you," she scolded herself. "I should never have trusted you. This is my fault," she sighed.

"I knew nothing of my sister's plan," he said calmly.

_She snorted in disbelief. _

"Seriously? It makes perfect sense. If you kill Elena, you kill Alaric; your final remaining threat," she spelled it out for him.

"I can assure you Caroline that I knew nothing. Rebekah told me she was going to say goodbye to Matt..." he corrected her. "I give you my word," he underscored.

_Perhaps he was telling the truth, but she couldn't ignore the lingering doubt she felt. _

_He stepped towards her, as if moving closer would emphasize his sincerity. _

_She stepped back and shook her head. _

"I don't know what to believe anymore," she admitted, pausing for a moment to determine her next step. "But I do know that Elena needs me. I can't leave her now."

_He frowned. _

"I know Elena means a great deal to you, but I beg you to reconsider. It's too dangerous here for you," he warned.

_Her brows furrowed at him and she scoffed again. _

"Do you really expect me to pack up and leave with you and your sister now? Your sister – the crazy bitch who just killed my best friend?" she retorted. "God, I don't even know what I was thinking when I said I'd leave with you in the first place," she laughed mockingly to herself as she raked her fingers through her hair once more.

"No. I only ask that you reconsider your choice to stay in Mystic Falls," he answered.

"I have to go. Elena is in transition because of your sister, and the only reason your sister is here is because I called you! Elena is transitioning because of me," she said guiltily, turning back for the foyer.

- "Wait," Elijah urged her.

_Despite her fuming anger, she went against her intuition and stopped. _

"Do not blame yourself for my sister's lapse in judgement," he consoled her. "Elena's unfortunate death was not your fault. I can assure you that I will deal with Rebekah."

"Good. Because if you don't, I can assure you that my friends and I will," she stated confidently as she crossed her arms.

"I know," he acknowledged.

_She stood there expectantly, waiting for him to say something significant that deserved more of her attention. _

_Knowing she was unsatisfied with his efforts to make peace and mediate the situation, he continued. _

"Listen, I know you're upset right now, Caroline. And I know there's nothing more I can say to convince you of my honest intentions, or to convince you to leave your home and your friends, but before you go to Elena, I think you should have this," he told her, stepping towards her.

_She turned around to face him and noticed the sparkling bracelet dangling from his fingers. It was the bracelet Klaus gave her as a birthday gift. She had given it back after confronting him about his treatment of others. Although she had criticized his aversion to connecting with others; they had connected that night. She felt it instantly despite her attempts to ignore it. _

_Elijah placed the piece of jewellery in her hands and she accepted it. _

"I found it in Niklaus's bureau. I noticed you wearing it the evening of the party my family threw here..." he recollected, finishing abruptly as if waiting for her to explain how it ended up back in Klaus's possession.

_She gave a small smile as she fingered the jewellery. _

"He gave it to me for my birthday. I returned it after I insulted him. I accused him of bribing and manipulating people into liking him," she reminisced.

_Elijah chuckled. _

"You're brave. Not many have stood up to my brother and lived to tell the tale," he mused.

_She suppressed a smirk for an overbearing frown. More than his sister's words had, Elijah's had unnerved her. _

_Clasping the bracelet in her hand, she tucked it inside the pocket of her jacket. _

"Thank you," she murmured.

_He nodded. _

_She said nothing more to him. She had nothing more to say. Rebekah's latest actions had left her feeling conflicted about Klaus's siblings. Deep down she felt she could trust Elijah's word; that he had nothing to do with Elena's death, but she could no longer be sure. Regardless, she knew she couldn't leave with them or on her own, no matter how dangerous staying here could be. She needed to see Elena. _

_Once at the hospital, she parked illegally in a 'no stopping' zone. She compelled the parking attendant to make an exception for her. She didn't like compelling people, but admittedly it came in handy when she needed to bend the rules. It was as good a time as any to use her compulsion ability. _

_She pushed through the zoo like atmosphere of the emergency wing and darted towards the morgue in the basement, stopping only to compel a few security guards and other staff. _

_Bursting through the doors of the morgue, she encountered Stefan and Damon sitting in almost complete darkness, keeping vigil over Elena's wet and seemingly lifeless body. _

_Her hand instinctively covered her lips in shock and her dry eyes were made wet once more. Although she knew her best friend would have a second opportunity for a semblance of life – like she had – it was disturbing to see Elena like this. In a way, she really was dead. She did die in that car accident. Elijah had told her not to feel guilty for what happened, but with Elena's body in front of her, she couldn't help but wonder what might have happened had she not called him. _

_What selfishly worried her more was the chance that when Elena awoke, she would decide against completing the transition like her father had. Ultimately it would be Elena's choice, but deep down she hoped her friend would follow through. She couldn't bear to lose someone else. She had lost enough tonight. _

"Hi," she whispered to both brothers as she stepped closer to Elena.

_They both acknowledged her with regretful and mournful glances. _

_She could sense the tension between both of the Salvatores. She knew it had to do with Elena lying before them. No doubt, Damon was enraged that Stefan had opted to save Matt at Elena's request. She couldn't hold Stefan's choice against him. Elena had told him to make it. He honoured that. She had to respect that. _

"Has she woken up yet?" she asked.

"She's been in and out. We haven't been able to tell her yet what happened," Stefan informed her.

_Damon scowled and stood up, moving towards the opposite wall of the room. _

_She looked back down at Elena, shedding a few more tears at the prospect of Elena finding out. _

"You didn't have to come. You've already been through a lot tonight," Stefan acknowledged.

"Yeah, sorry to hear about your hybrid," Damon said, almost sarcastically. "Or should I say hybrids," he snickered, referring jokingly to Klaus.

"I wanted to come. Elena is my best friend. She needs all of us," she explained to them.

_Stefan nodded. _

"I guess the only bright side to this whole mess is that Klaus is dead and psycho-Alaric isn't on the loose anymore," Damon chimed in.

_That was the bright side, for all of them. Not for her. _

"So what's the plan?" she asked, distracting herself from the urge to leap to Klaus's defence.

"We were going to stay here until Elena woke up so we could explain to her what happened, but given her in-and-out state, Damon and I are going to take her home. It will be good for her if she wakes up in her own bed. She needs to be as close to her humanity as possible," Stefan decided.

_Damon snorted. _

"It's not going to change the fact that she's either going to die or become a vampire," he grumbled.

_Feeling as though Damon and Stefan were on the verge of a verbal and physical fighting match, she spoke up. _

"There's nothing we can do to change things now..." she consoled them. "We'll just have to help Elena deal with that reality."

_Damon rolled his eyes and Stefan smiled faintly at her. _

"I've been trying to reach Bonnie. I'm hoping she can find a spell that might reverse or prolong the transition phase," Stefan revealed.

_The possibility that Elena could be restored to her human self was encouraging, but she knew that Bonnie's knowledge was still limited when it came to witchcraft. Moreover, a spell like that could be dangerous for her. _

"We all know Bonnie is going to find nothing," Damon stated pessimistically. "Let's face it, at the end of the day, Elena is either going to have to feed or die."

"You don't know that, brother," Stefan said hopefully.

"I'm a realist," Damon retorted.

_She disregarded their quarrel. _

"What can I do?" she offered, wanting to be helpful; wanting to distract herself.

"There's not much you can do for Elena until she wakes up," Stefan acknowledged. "But I think seeing you will be good for her. You can relate to what she's going through. You can show her that she'll be okay," he told her.

_Although Stefan had simplified how much of a struggle she had been through to get to where she was now, he had a point. Sure, both Damon and Stefan had experienced the same thing, but she had gone through it so recently, and Elena and her were such good friends, that she believed Elena would respond to her more. It would be Elena's choice if she completed the transition into a vampire, but she would do everything she could to convince Elena that being a vampire wasn't the end of the world. _

"Matt's upstairs recovering. Meredith said he'd be released tonight. You could take him home," Stefan suggested.

_She scolded herself for forgetting about Matt so easily at the sight of Elena. He may have made it out alive, but he had also been through the traumatic experience. Not to mention he had also lost Tyler. _

"Oh yes, Matt will be out on the field throwing footballs in no time and clearing tables at the Grill," Damon mused bitterly. "Really...shouldn't Matt be your responsibility, brother? Seeing as how you saved him and all," Damon added.

_Stefan and Damon exchanged fiery glances. _

"I'll take care of Matt," she assured Stefan, before leaving for Matt's room.

_After compelling one of the nurses on duty, she was able to settle Matt's hospital bill and locate his room fairly quickly. _

_The room was dimly lit by a table lamp and he was sitting on the edge of the bed staring absentmindedly and despondently at the wall across from him. _

_He was dressed in dry clothes, while his wet ones sat in a pile beside him. _

_She stepped into the room quietly, but enough that he would hear her enter; she didn't want to startle him. _

_He turned to look up at her and she could already see the tears and hopelessness in his eyes. _

"Care," he whispered, as he stood up.

_He seemed relieved to see her. _

"Matt," she whimpered shakily as he wrapped his arms around her.

_They said nothing at first aside from their suppressed weeping. _

"I was just trying to protect her," Matt confessed.

_She nodded as he held her tighter. _

"I know, Matt," she said. "You have nothing to feel guilty for. It wasn't your fault," she soothed.

"But if we had just stayed at Elena's..." he explained.

_She pulled away from him and held his face in her hands. His cheeks were tear-stained like hers. _

"Matt, look at me," she ordered, "This was Rebekah's fault, not yours," she finished sternly.

_If only she could believe that. _

_He nodded hesitantly. _

_Dragging his clothed arm across his face, he wiped the evidence of his emotion away. _

"...and Tyler...oh my god," Matt recalled. "I'm so sorry, Care," he said, his emotion returning as she hugged him again. "What the hell..." Matt said angrily over her shoulder.

"All of us...you, me, Elena, Jeremy, Tyler...we did nothing to deserve any of this," he continued as they parted from the hug.

_She shook her head in agreement as she dried her eyes for the millionth time that night. _

"No, we didn't," she squeaked.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Matt wondered.

_She shrugged. _

"I don't know. We help Elena through her transition if she chooses to become a vampire. We try to move on if she doesn't," she suggested, knowing it was all easier said than done.

_In fact, she was wondering the same thing Matt was, but she tried her best to restore his faith. She didn't like seeing him this depressed. _

"Stefan said you were being released tonight. That's good news," she said, trying to be cheerful.

_Matt nodded simply, clearly not as thrilled as she was trying to be. _

"It should be Elena," he muttered. "I'm surprised they're even letting me leave. I owe them enough money," he added anxiously.

"I kinda handled that already," she confessed.

_He knew she was referring to compulsion. _

"Thanks," he replied. "You know I'll never be able to repay you," he laughed softly.

_It sounded good to hear him laugh, even if it sounded disdainful. _

"Well since I don't want you to be alone tonight, you can repay me by staying over at my house," she instructed him.

"Care, I'm fine. I don't need to," he protested.

_She frowned. _

"Well I'm not fine, and I don't want to be alone tonight," she argued, playing off his guilt, knowing he would give in to her request.

"Okay, I'll stay at your place," he agreed.

* * *

"I know you're here," the voice of the Bennett witch echoed throughout the cellar.

_He had been hiding in the shadows in case Caroline decided – against his wishes – to return. _

_Until he could return to his body, it was better she believed Tyler to be dead. Although he suspected it wouldn't take much skill to play the part of his less sophisticated and unappealing hybrid counterpart, he didn't need the distraction. His main focus was getting his body back, then the doppelganger. _

_Caroline he was still unsure about. Her kiss in the school hallway had restored his confidence; it had completely and foolishly pulled him back in. However, that was before he attempted to drain her friend of all her blood. Surely she would not forget that. _

_He emerged from the darkness to see Bonnie standing there eyeing him cautiously. _

"I must say, you really did that spell brilliantly. I didn't think you had it in you," he admitted.

_She had impressed him. He had no input in her last ditch attempt to protect him; he'd been desiccated of course. He had little faith in her ability to successfully enact the spell. However, given that he was still here and alive (just not in his body), she had proven him wrong. She was a young witch, but she had grown strong in such a short time. The Bennett line was a powerful one; he knew it was only a matter of time before she advanced beyond her ancestors. _

"I did it to save my friends and my mother, Klaus; not you," she said sternly.

"The spirits won't be happy with you," he warned.

_She shrugged nonchalantly. _

"The spirits don't get to tell me what to do anymore. I'm done getting pushed around by all of you. I did it because I wanted to," she stated boldly.

_Indeed, she was growing stronger already. _

"A rebellious witch you are," he mused as he circled her. "Honestly, I could care less what provoked you to save little ol' me; my main concern at this present time is getting my body back," he spoke threateningly, even though he knew he really had no leverage over her.

"It's being handled," she said cryptically.

_Her vague answer did not impress him. _

"What exactly does being 'handled' mean?" he asked anxiously.

"It means that Damon is bringing your coffin back," she answered.

_Again, her partial answers were more than frustrating. _

"He knows what you did?" he wondered.

_She shook her head, indicating that Damon was still in the dark. _

"I sealed the coffin shut with a spell similar to the one that sealed your mother's coffin closed," she started. "That and the fact that the coffin felt like there was still a body in it was enough to rouse Damon's suspicions. He's bringing it to me so I can figure out what's going on with it. He has no idea that I was involved," she finished.

_He smiled slightly from relief. No one, including the elder Salvatore brother, would interfere with his efforts to return to his body. _

"You witches are very conniving," he mused.

"Well my conniving saved your life," she retorted.

"And words cannot express my gratitude," he said, almost sarcastically.

_She scoffed. _

"If you wanted to express your gratitude, you could try leaving Elena alone," she lamented.

_He laughed, noting once more the strange voice that slipped off his lips; Tyler's. _

"Don't push it, witch," he threatened. "You saved me to save your friends. Thus, you have no leverage over me," he reminded her.

_Her eyebrows furrowed at him before turning back to leave. _

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"It's late, and I'm tired. The spells have taken a lot out of me. I need to rest before I attempt your body swap. We'll do it tomorrow," she stated.

_He growled under his breath impatiently. She did raise a good point. He didn't want to risk her dying in the midst of transferring bodies. However, he couldn't help but feel her delay was merely an intentional way to annoy him. Waiting another day would mean another day that his body was vulnerable. _

"I want it done tonight," he demanded.

_She glared at him in disbelief. _

"I told you I'm tired," she hissed. "If I try the spell tonight I could over-exert myself, meaning you'll be out a witch, and I'll be dead."

"But my body is out there with Damon; an easy target for Alaric," he protested.

"Your body will be back in Mystic Falls before morning, and if Alaric believes he killed you, the last place he's going to return to is Mystic Falls. He'll be hunting down your siblings, who, if they are smart, have fled town," she explained.

_He sighed, conceding to her need for rest. _

"Fine; so what am I supposed to do, just wait down here until morning?" he grumbled.

_She nodded, a satisfied grin across her face at the prospect of him becoming a cellar dweller for a night as he waited submissively for her to return to give him his body back. _

"Bullocks," he frowned, kicking his – Tyler's – foot at the dirt ground.

"Well you can't go out in public," she warned him. "You're in Tyler's body, if you slip up and someone finds out it's you, who knows what might happen. And even if you don't make a mistake, the Council has it out for both Tyler and Caroline. It's too dangerous," she reasoned.

"What about the Council?" he questioned.

_Bonnie had only ever told him that Tyler was meeting Caroline in this wretched dungeon, she had never explained to him why. Her mention of Caroline and danger had raised red flags for him, as it had a habit of doing lately. _

"In addition to exposing you to the Council, Alaric also told the Council about Tyler and Caroline as a means to undermine Liz and Carol," Bonnie informed him. "Once their search for you leads them nowhere, they'll go after Tyler and Caroline. Before 'Tyler' 'died,' Tyler and Caroline were going to leave town," she continued.

_He froze. Caroline was going to leave town with Tyler? He had been desiccated and she was just going to leave town? Had she forgotten so easily about his efforts to protect her? Certainly, he couldn't blame her for wanting to escape Alaric, but had she so deluded herself into thinking that she could just forget about him and carry on with Tyler? A surge of rage and disappointment swirled within him. _

_Suppressing the urge to give his reaction away to the witch, he bit his tongue. _

"Where is Caroline now?" he wondered, hoping his concern was merely interpreted as curiosity.

"She told me she was going home..." Bonnie said suspiciously.

"I should go to her," he said instinctively, turning towards the exit.

_It was an impulsive response; one that he made without reference to his most recent bitter and confused feelings towards Caroline. Even now, after everything he had been through and Caroline's seeming indifference towards it all, she still had a pathetic hold on him. _

_Bonnie grabbed his upper arm, her magic helping to pull him back into the cellar. _

"No," she ordered. "Caroline can't find out about you in Tyler's body. We can't take any chances," she protested.

_He ripped his arm away from her grasp. _

"She's hysterical...she thinks I'm...Tyler's dead. I posed as him before, I can do it again. She should know Tyler's okay..." he urged.

_Bonnie shrugged. _

"And what then? You're just gonna pretend to be Tyler; manipulate Caroline into thinking you're really him?" she probed.

"You said it yourself; I'd be back in my body by tomorrow. So I'll pretend to be Tyler. It will only be a few hours. She'll never suspect a thing. I thought Caroline was your friend? Why would you want to prolong her pain? More than that, I can protect her should the Council make a move," he argued.

_Bonnie rolled her eyes. _

"Don't try to make this about consoling Caroline, or her safety. You want to see her. I know," she told him.

_He eyed her curiously. _

"You know?" he asked, pushing her to elaborate.

_What exactly did she know? _

"You're weird obsession with her. I'm well aware of it," she replied. "Everyone is."

_He chuckled. _

"Now Bonnie, I think you're being a little over-dramatic. I am fond of her. Is that a problem?" he retorted.

_Her hands rested on her hips and she gave him a disapproving look. _

"Besides the fact that she's in love with Tyler and wants nothing to do with you, no..." she snorted

_He tried to resist the urge to correct her, but his slowly deflating ego was too overpowering. _

"Can you really be certain of the truth of either of those statements?" he challenged.

_She scoffed. _

"Just admit it witch that I have raised a valid point about seeing Caroline so we can get on with things," he urged.

_He could tell that the witch was conflicted about what to say. It was clear she knew he had made a point about being able to ensure Caroline's temporary safety and end her grief. _

_Her shoulders fell back and she sighed. _

"Fine, go to her; tell her nothing," she relented. "But, I swear to god, if you take advantage of her in any way...I desiccated you once, I'll do it again," she threatened seriously.

_He smirked at her bravado and nodded accordingly. _

"I shall see you bright and early tomorrow, Bonnie," he chimed in a fake friendly tone.

* * *

_Surprisingly, when they arrived at her place, her mother was home. Her mother was baffled by her and Matt's appearance, believing that she and Tyler had already left town. Unfortunately for her, that meant reopening wounds that had barely begun to heal. She explained everything – well almost everything – to her mother about the events of the night. She told her about Klaus's desiccation and her friends' deal with Elijah and their plan to kill Alaric. She told her mother about Klaus's death, and then Tyler's. It had been one of the few times she had seen her mother cry. Her mother had opted to be the one to call Tyler's mother, but she had managed to reason with her. It's not what Tyler wanted. Tyler wanted his mom to believe he had simply left town. They would come up with an explanation as to why Tyler had left and she had stayed behind. Her mother also assured her that she would do everything in her power to regain favour with the Council to ensure her safety._

Then, once all that was hastily talked over, she explained why Matt had returned home with her. She revealed Rebekah's successful attempt at revenge and its consequences; Elena was in transition and Matt was in physical and emotional recovery. There had been things she'd left out of the story; things she wouldn't dare tell her mother or Matt. She never disclosed her part in the deal with Elijah. She never told her of her conversations with Elijah. Most significantly, she did not fully divulge the real reasons for her tears. She didn't need do. She had been through enough tonight that her tears needed no further explaining, but that wasn't the point. The point was that she would never get to fully express her pain to anyone, save for Elijah, who she assumed, she would never see again. When all that she could say was said, her mother had taken time to console both her and Matt. She also encouraged Matt to stay as long as he liked. With that said, her mother was rushing out the door to do damage control. She didn't ask where her mother was headed; she preferred to be kept in the dark. She and Matt had dealt with enough for one night. 

_While Matt tried to occupy himself with a re-run episode of the Simpsons, she made him a cup of coffee and retrieved herself a blood bag in the kitchen. Waiting for the coffee to cool a bit, she took a few short sips of the red liquid. She tried to drink more, but she felt sick to her stomach. As a vampire she had craved it, but now she felt no desire for it. She didn't want to feed. She had no appetite. She never thought the sight of blood would turn her off, but it did. She supposed this was a side effect to the overwhelming sadness she felt. Thinking back to when she was human, eating had never come easy to her when she was upset. Whereas Elena and Bonnie tended to indulge when they were depressed or anxious, she tended to avoid food. She knew she had to eat to survive, but she derived no pleasure or happiness from the blood sliding down her throat. _

_She re-entered the living room, mustering the best smile she could for Matt, who was staring blankly at the television screen. _

_Handing him the coffee, she went for the linen closet to get bedding for the couch. _

_She began to tear the couch apart to reveal the sofa bed contained inside, but Matt stopped her. _

"Care, I can just sleep on the couch. Don't worry about making the bed," he assured her.

"But it will be more comfortable," she pointed out.

_He shrugged. _

"I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight, regardless," he admitted before taking a sip of the coffee.

_She nodded in understanding and decided not to press the issue. She didn't want to upset him even more over something so trivial. _

_Instead, she placed two pillows into clean pillow cases and folded two blankets, placing them on the couch to create a makeshift bed. _

"Thanks," Matt sighed appreciatively.

"You're welcome," she replied. "If you want anything to eat, you know where the kitchen is...and if you want to take a shower or anything, feel free," she offered politely.

_Had they not been under the circumstances they were, this situation might have been more awkward for her. After all, Matt was her ex-boyfriend. But she felt none of that. She was simply looking out for a friend. That's what she did when she was upset; she took care of others. _

_He nodded. _

"Good-night," she finished, knowing after she said it that was spoken merely out of habit.

_Neither of them would be having a good night. _

_She entered her bedroom hesitantly, trying to avoid dwelling on the memories that were contained within these four walls. _

_The pink and black plaid flannel pyjamas that she had taken out earlier to wear were still sitting on her dresser waiting for her. Her throat tightened as the clothes made her think about her dad. _

_Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she undressed and quickly wrapped herself in the warm fabric. _

_She picked up her discarded clothes from the floor, only to have her attention caught by the weight of her jacket. _

_Remembering that she had placed her cell phone in her pocket, she reached inside. Her fingers met the hard plastic of her phone, but they also brushed against cool metal; the bracelet. _

_Disregarding her phone, she pulled out the bracelet before draping her coat and other clothes over her desk chair. _

_She dangled the sparkling bracelet in front of her as she recalled finding it on her nightstand the morning after Klaus had saved her. "...Worn by a princess almost as beautiful as you," his voice echoed. She had resented the gift then, but cherished it more than anything now. _

_Her eyes began to sting. _

_When she looked up, she noted the photo of her and Tyler on the desk. _

_It was taken the night of Elena's birthday party. _

_She picked it up, bracelet still in hand, to examine it. _

_Both she and Tyler had too much to drink that night, but she couldn't get over how happy they both looked; both oblivious to what that night had in store for them. _

_The guilt crushed her as the bracelet branded her skin. _

_It was as though Tyler and Klaus were haunting her from the other side. _

_Forgetting about Matt across the hall, she began to cry freely, much like she had with Elijah earlier. _

_She didn't know it was possible to cry so much in one night. _

_The tears were relentless. _

_She sat down on her bed and placed both the photo and the bracelet on the nightstand as she tried to regain her composure._

_But it was too late. Matt had heard her sobs and he knocked softly on her door before pushing it open slowly to check on her. _

"Hey, Care," he spoke softly.

_She laughed through her tears, embarrassed that he found her like this. _

"Hi," she squeaked.

_He sat down beside her on the bed and draped his arm around her. _

_She wanted to stop crying; she wanted to hide her pain. She didn't want Matt to see her this way. He already had enough to deal with, but she couldn't help it. _

"Sorry," she apologized.

"You don't have to be sorry," his voice cracked as she rested her head against his shirt. "You have every right to cry. It's been a shitty day," he breathed.

_She nodded and lifted her head. _

_The picture of Tyler caught her eye once more and she winced. _

"I can't believe he's gone," she sobbed, Matt oblivious to the dual reference of her words.

_Matt swallowed hard and picked up the photograph – bypassing the bracelet from Klaus. _

"I can't believe it either," he said baffled. "I mean, we were just hanging out at my place the other night."

_She sobbed a little harder with his comment and he realized he had struck a chord with her. _

"Here, lay down," he offered as he stood up from the bed.

_She began to oblige, but paused when she noticed Matt open her nightstand drawer to conceal the photograph. _

_His intentions had been pure; he wanted to put the memories out of sight to give her a chance to settle down. _

"No," she hesitated, hoping he hadn't noticed the other contents.

_Matt froze, his eyes were fixated on the drawer. He had seen what she feared he would. _

_She sat up speechless as she waited for him to say something. _

_He reached into the drawer and pulled out the two drawings. _

_Her face was boiling as though she had sunburn. _

"What the hell," Matt hissed as he examined the papers. "Klaus drew these," he concluded aloud.

"Matt..." she tried to intervene and take the drawings from him.

_He backed away and raised his arm out of her reach. _

"Did Klaus draw this from life?" he demanded confronting her with the semi-nude drawing Klaus had done of her. "Was he here?" he continued. "Did you sleep with him?" he asked, disgusted by the possibility.

"Matt..." she stuttered again, tears of guilt blurring her vision.

"Answer me!" he yelled.

_She recoiled from the tone of his voice. _

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes," she cried, almost inaudibly.

_Her admission made her feel light-headed and sick, but partially relieved. _

"So when I asked you if you liked him..." he started, clenching his jaw.

"I lied," she admitted.

"For how long?" he asked.

_She bit her lip, debating on the answer to give him. _

"Since that night you saw us at the Grill," she revealed.

_He scoffed and shook his head. _

"I knew it," he scolded himself. "So when you were seeing him to 'collect info' you were really _seeing_ him," he said, trying to wrap his mind around the whole thing. "God, Care, what's the matter with you? How could you do something like that...to your friends...to Tyler," he wondered.

_She shrugged. _

"I don't know," she cried. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did..." she replied pathetically.

"It was Klaus, Caroline," Matt retorted. "How could it just happen?"

"I don't know!" she restated. "He was different with me," she added.

_Matt rolled his eyes. _

"So what...you just forgot about all the horrible shit he did when he wasn't with you? For Christ's sake Care, he's the reason why everything is so fucked up. He's the reason I almost died. He's the reason Elena's dead and about to become a vampire. He's the reason Tyler is dead!" Matt shouted.

_She disagreed with his reductionist explanation, but no less, he had a point. _

"I'm sorry," she stammered.

"I can't believe I stood up for you," he said. "I told Tyler he had nothing to worry about; I told him to trust you," he reminded her.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Are you even upset over Tyler?" he dug, his comments stinging.

_She scoffed. _

"Of course I'm upset that Tyler died, Matt!" she replied. "Just because I made a mistake with Klaus doesn't mean I don't care about Tyler," she argued.

"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it," Matt snorted as he turned to leave her room.

"Come on, Matt," she pleaded for him to stop with the hurtful comments, even though she supposed she deserved it.

_He turned back around. _

"I know what I did was wrong. I know that. And whether you believe me or not, I was going to come clean to Tyler. He already confronted me about it earlier, but I never got a chance to tell him with everything that happened tonight. Now, I'll never get the chance to. I'm going to live with that guilt for the rest of my life," she acknowledged.

"Seems fair," Matt answered.

_She nodded. _

"I'm sorry, Matt," she said again.

_He said nothing as he dropped the pieces of paper back on her nightstand. _

"Matt, talk to me," she begged.

"About what, Care?" he snarled. "About Klaus?" he jabbed.

_She frowned. _

"No...please just let me try to explain," she offered.

_He shrugged. _

"I don't think there is anything more to explain. You cheated on Tyler; you cheated on your friends; and you cheated on yourself. The Caroline I thought I knew would never have done something like this," he concluded.

_Her heart sunk. _

"I should go," he mumbled.

"But it's late...and you don't have a car," she interjected.

"I'll walk," he said flatly.

_She was getting frustrated now. Sure, she had done a terrible thing by betraying Tyler and her friends, but he wasn't even making an effort to understand where she was coming from. _

"So what now? Are you just going to ignore me forever? Or go running to everyone else to tell them what I did?" she confronted.

"They should know," he said.

"Matt please!" she cried. "My father's dead, Tyler's dead, Klaus is dead. Please don't take my friends away from me too!" she whimpered tugging at the sleeve of his shirt to stop him.

_He clenched her shoulders and glared down at her. _

"I'm not taking your friends away from you Caroline. You did that to yourself," he muttered.

"Then let me tell them," she implored.

_He chewed his lip and stared past her as he considered her suggestion. _

"Fine," he acquiesced.

_She breathed a small sigh of relieve and showed her appreciation with a small smile. _

"Thank you," she replied. "Just give me some time," she added.

_He scowled. _

"Please Matt, I just need some time to let what happened tonight sink in. Just let me grieve before I put myself through another trauma. Besides, Elena has so much on her plate right now, and if she decides to transition she's going to need all of us to be there for her. She doesn't need to deal with this too," she argued.

_She could tell that he found her appeal convincing. He already felt guilty about Elena. He wouldn't want to put her through anymore unnecessary pain for the time being. _

"Okay," he accepted.

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

_He offered her no polite reply or goodnight. He simply left her there in her room to deal with the aftermath. _

_She heard the front door slam and she shook in response._

* * *

_He walked across the Lockwood grounds, pleased to find Tyler's car in the driveway. If he had been himself he would have just flashed to Caroline's house, but he knew Tyler still had a thing for human habits and he didn't want to appear out of character. _

_As he stepped onto the driveway motion censored lights detected his movements and he froze for a moment before reminding himself that for all intents and purposes he was Tyler Lockwood; this was his property. _

_When he turned the ignition he was greeted by the blaring noise of hip-hop rubbish on the stereo. He groaned and hit the volume. _

_He rolled out of the driveway quietly, accelerating once on the main road that would lead him to the downtown core of Mystic Falls and out to Caroline's. _

_His fingers clenched the steering wheel anxiously as he drove. He couldn't pin point the cause of his over-active nerves. He suspected it had something to do with occupying Tyler's body, but he knew it was more than that. He had narrowly escaped death tonight. He had never faced death more since arriving in Mystic Falls. The image of Alaric driving that stake through his chest unnerved him. Had Bonnie not took it upon herself to act, he and every vampire she ever cared about – Caroline included – would be dead. _

_The prospect of death had always been bittersweet for him, but he had realized tonight that he truly wanted to live. Death was not an option. In fact, it terrified him. It wasn't death itself that terrified him so much as it was the experiences he was sure to miss if he was dead. It sounded ridiculous. He had lived for centuries, surely he had experienced everything. _

_He sucked in a breath as he pulled up in front of Caroline's house. _

_She was home; he noted her car in front of his – Tyler's, he had to keep reminding himself. _

_A conflicting surge of emotions kept him seated firmly in the driver's seat. _

_She had left him as good as dead just like that. If everything had gone according to plan, she'd be on the run with Tyler now. Had he even crossed her mind once? He wondered. Was she delusional or just manipulative? His chest tightened the more he thought about it. He considered leaving. Why should he give a second thought to someone who didn't grant him the same in return? Why should he care about her safety or wellbeing? _

_It seemed the only one's he could depend on were his siblings – and even that was pushing it. Had everything gone according to their plan, they would have left him desiccated for centuries. _

_He had no one. _

_But here he was, reluctantly climbing out of the car and walking towards Caroline's front door. _

_He hesitated on the walkway, debating whether or not to follow through. _

_His mind wandered for a few moments. Pathetically he fell upon the memory of Caroline tripping along this very walkway, giggling playfully – and drunkenly – as she pulled him along behind her. That was soon interrupted by the thought of their most recent encounter. No matter how much he tried he could not disregard her kiss or her genuine concern for his safety. That had to mean something. He was missing a piece to this puzzle. _

_Curiosity pushed him forwards._

_As expected, the door was locked. He used his strength to bypass the defence of the lock and in seconds the door opened. _

_The house was quiet and dark, save for the small table lamp that illuminated the hallway. _

_He stepped inside apprehensively, cringing as the floor complained under his feet. _

"Don't move," a voice whispered aggressively.

_He stiffened and raised his hands instinctively as he saw Caroline's mother appear from a room down the hall. _

_She was dressed in a long white robe; a pistol in her hands pointed in his direction. _

_At first he rushed for an explanation for his presence, forgetting the body he was in. _

"Tyler?" she asked in disbelief as she lowered the gun.

"Mrs. Forbes," he acknowledged, hoping Tyler was still on a last name basis with her.

_She looked at him completely shocked and dumbfounded as she approached him. _

"Caroline said...you died?" she questioned; her voice becoming shaky as she grew emotional.

_He shrugged. _

"Klaus died. I thought I was...dying. I felt this excruciating pain; I blacked out. I don't know what happened..." he started.

"Oh my god," she stammered.

_She hugged him tightly._

"Caroline is going to be so happy," she exclaimed.

_He was glad she turned the subject to her daughter. He didn't feel like dwelling on the specifics of what happened to him – Tyler – in case he slipped up. Caroline's mom was the sheriff after all. She was trained to pick out the inconsistencies of any tale. _

"Where is she?" he asked.

_She stepped back outside of Caroline's bedroom door pushing it open slightly. _

_He peered inside the room. _

_The lamp on her nightstand revealed her sleeping figure. Her back was turned to the door; her angelic hair scattered about the pillow. _

"She just managed to fall asleep," she informed him.

_He sighed guiltily. _

"I should let her sleep," he decided.

_She clasped his arm and stopped him. _

"No. She'd want to know you're alive. She'll sleep better once she does," Mrs. Forbes assured him. "Go," she urged, her hand softly guiding him into the room.

_He moved into the room only to be stopped again by Mrs. Forbes. _

"Tyler."

_He looked back at her. _

"I'll let you stay with her tonight, but this is a one-time thing. No funny business," she warned him.

_At first he was completely oblivious as to what she was referring to. He hadn't had a mother making rules for him to follow in quite some time. However, when he situated himself in Tyler's body, her words made sense. He found it amusing really; that Caroline and Tyler would respect the boundaries set for them by a human. _

_Nonetheless, he agreed to her terms. _

"Of course," he accepted.

_She nodded and disappeared from the doorway. _

_He approached Caroline's bed guardedly. _

_Taking his time, he observed the details of her room. _

_He spotted an empty tissue box on the floor beside her bed, surrounded by a few tissues that had more than likely been soiled with her tears. _

_Her nightstand caught his attention. _

_His hand traced the wood trim of the table, eyeing the contents scattered over its surface._

_There was a photograph of Caroline and Tyler. His stomach turned. _

_He picked up the photograph to inspect it, only to be distracted by a shimmering piece of jewellery that had been underneath; the bracelet. _

_It was the bracelet he gave to her for her birthday. The one she had hastily given back to him in a moment of anger. Apparently she had given him a second thought. _

_He touched it with his fingertips as he eyed it suspiciously. Earlier today he had discarded back into one of the drawers of his bureau. How had she managed to obtain it? _

_Suddenly the blankets began to shift and Caroline rolled over._

_He dropped the photograph, and watched her fixedly. _

_Her forehead wrinkled and her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes clenched. She seemed upset, even in sleep. _

_She stretched out her arms and her eyes fluttered open slowly. _

"Tyler?" she whispered groggily.

_He came closer as she pushed herself up. _

"Tyler," she repeated, as if to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming.

"Caroline," he said simply, as he sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"Oh my god," she cried as tears fell from her eyes.

_She grabbed onto him for dear life; her arms clamped tightly around his neck. _

"Why?...H-how?" she stuttered against his neck.

"I'm not sure," he lied.

_She pulled away and examined him as if he wasn't real. _

"You died; Klaus died," she sobbed, touching his face.

_His eyes were stinging and he closed them as she stroked his skin. _

"I'm here," he said softly.

_She cried harder. _

_He brought her into his arms. _

"Shhhh," he cooed as he stroked her hair and rocked her against him. "Come on, lay down. We'll talk tomorrow," he told her.

_She did as he asked; too exhausted to protest. _

"Don't leave," she murmured as he stood up and tucked her in under the blankets.

"I won't," he promised.

_He was reluctant to lie next to her as Tyler, but his jealous ego was overpowered by a rawer emotion; one that was pushing him to oblige her. _

_Thankful for Tyler's preference for boxers, he unbuttoned and removed his pants. _

_He climbed into bed next to her and she responded by curling her body around his. _

_Within minutes she was asleep. _

_Exhaling sharply, he closed his eyes too. _

"Goodnight sweetheart," he whispered, knowing she was too lost in her subconscious to hear his familiar term of endearment for her.

* * *

**A/N: I hope the chapter, the changing points of view, and the sequence of events made sense. If anything was unclear, don't hesitate to ask. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Wow, I bet you weren't expecting another update for another million years? Heh. I've been procrastinating on most other things I have to get done in favour of writing this fic. My priorities are a little muddled at the moment. It's about half the size of the past couple of chapters, but I figured you would appreciate it nonetheless. Originally I had intended to write another long chapter, but I decided to split it up so I could post a little something early. Shorter chapters are also easier to edit. ****  
**

**This chapter is sort of a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. There's a bit of "Tyler" (Klaus) and Caroline at the beginning!**

**In response to amelia, an unregistered reviewer (and for anyone else's curiosity), I have yet to decide how long the rest of the fic will be. I know where I intend to go with the story at its end, with general and specific ideas of how to get there, but I'm really writing as I go along. I'd say there are more than a few chapters left.**

**Again, thanks for all the reviews and support. I'm happy to know that you're all so loyal to this story even though I have trouble updating frequently. I admire the authors on this site who can post chapters quickly and consistently without compromising the quality of their work.**

**Please forgive any spelling and grammatical errors and be sure to send your thoughts my way via review when you're finished reading!**

* * *

_He woke up to the feeling of the warm sun hitting his face and an equally warm body pressed up against him. _

_As his eyes adjusted to the light, he was better able to make sense of his surroundings. _

_Without moving, he scanned the room and quickly concluded that indeed, he was in Caroline's room. In fact, he was lying in her bed next to her; something she was completely oblivious to. _

_He couldn't recall the last time he had slept beside someone like this. He never shared a bed with any of his past intimate encounters, and it had been decades since he and Elijah had inadvertently occupied the same bed after a blood and alcohol fuelled evening. _

_It was a strange feeling; to have someone nestled beside him; his mere presence facilitating her slumber. Tyler's presence - he had to remind himself. _

_Sure, he had watched her sleep before - the first night they were together - but only long enough to drink in her flawless features and make note of them on a scrap piece of paper. He had never slept beside her, until now; and even still he wasn't even sure last night counted since he was in Tyler's body and not his own. _

_He stared down at her sleeping form. Even in sleep she was enthralling to him. Her beauty both inspired and frustrated him. _

_Frustrated him because he couldn't get over how she had hypnotized him; frustrated him because he wanted nothing more than to touch her; but as Tyler he found the prospect revolting. _

_She seemed so peaceful. He could only wonder what she was dreaming about. _

_He did not remember his own dreams from the night previous. Despite everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours and the fact Caroline had monopolized all of the blankets, last night was the first night in a long while that he achieved decent sleep. _

_The sparkle of the bracelet on the nightstand caught his eye once more. She had obviously been at his house at some point following his desiccation. He still couldn't figure out how she had managed to find the piece of jewellery though. Once he was back in his own body he would make a point of asking her._

_He shrugged off the thought for a few moments as he stared up at the ceiling as he inhaled the lavender and vanilla scents of her room _

_He still could not get over the close calls he had experienced last evening; how close he had come to the end; how close he had come to never seeing her again. _

_It was not a position he wanted to be in again. With that in mind, he considered leaving the room to call Bonnie, but as Caroline began to stir, he relaxed his – Tyler's – body, and waited for her to wake. _

_Her eyes fluttered open hesitantly as she too adjusted to the bright morning sun cascading into the room through her curtains. _

_She still seemed surprised to see him. _

_He readied himself to play the role of Tyler Lockwood. _

"Good morning sleepy head," he greeted her playfully, hoping it would pass for something Tyler might say.

_She smiled faintly. _

"Morning," she replied. "How did you sleep?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Excellent next to you," he admitted freely.

_He was allowed to say that as Tyler. _

_She blushed as she nodded and turned on her back like he was. _

"Do you feel okay?" she asked, glancing at him cautiously. "What happened after I left you in the cellar?" she wondered.

_He shrugged. _

"I feel fine. I don't really know what happened. I started transitioning into a werewolf and then I blacked out," he claimed convincingly.

_He could tell by the look on her face that her mind was in overdrive searching for an explanation. _

"Maybe it was a lingering effect of the sire bond? Maybe when Klaus was killed I felt his pain?" he proposed.

_Her face twisted into one of bemusement. _

"But if Klaus dies, you die..." she reminded him.

"Well maybe it's all bullshit," he said hurriedly. "Maybe the bloodline and descendent stuff is a lie," he suggested.

"But what about Finn, Sage, and Troy?" she countered pointedly.

_He paused for a brief moment to appreciating the way her forehead contorted as she fell deeper into thought. _

"There could be a link we're missing," he proposed. "Either way, Klaus is dead and that what matters," he declared in an effort to gauge her reaction.

_She looked at him blankly and nodded hesitantly before turning away. _

_Staring distantly out the window she released a drawn out sigh. _

"What is it?" he asked.

_His question brought her out of her thoughtful trance. _

"Hmm?" she murmured, returning her attention onto him.

"Is something wrong?" he questioned as he propped himself up on his shoulder.

_She smiled meekly at him before climbing out of bed. _

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Washroom," she said, before he could ask where she was going.

_He sighed in defeat and fell back against the mattress, admiring her cute choice of pyjamas as she scurried out of the room. _

_Judging by her reaction towards his mention of Klaus...or him, it seemed his "death" had impacted her more than he thought. _

_While she was gone, he decided to take the opportunity to reach into his pants pocket for his – Tyler's __– cell__ phone. The time on the phone revealed that it was almost noon. He couldn't believe he had slept so late. He should have been back in his body already. Bonnie had left no new message, so he sent her what she would hopefully interpret as an eager message about returning to his body as soon as possible. _

_A few minutes later he could hear the sound of Caroline's bare feet stepping down the hall back towards her room. _

_He set his phone down beside the bracelet as the door creaked open. _

_She re-entered the room looking slightly more dishevelled than she had when she woke; he noted the faint but fresh tear stains on her cheeks. _

_He frowned slightly, but said nothing, opting not to put her on the spot yet. _

_She regarded him with an obviously fake cheerful expression as his senses perked up at the sight of the glass of red liquid in her hand. _

"Breakfast in bed," she announced brightly.

_Although he knew something was troubling her, he couldn't help but smirk at her efforts as she sat back on the bed and handed him the glass. _

_No one, aside from hired servants and compelled victims had ever offered him prepared meals in bed. _

"You should eat; your body is probably weak from last night," she explained.

_Although he felt a little strange in Tyler's body, he was far from weak, but he wasn't about to bring that up nor was he about to refuse blood that was handed to him. He didn't want to waste time hunting for blood today when his top priority was reclaiming his body. _

_He sipped from the glass appreciatively, only stopping half way when he realized that she did not have a glass of her own. _

"You're not feeding?" he asked curiously.

_She bit her lip. _

"I'm not really hungry right now," she replied.

_He regarded her with a look of concern. _

_It was unusual for a vampire to lose their appetite, but, from his own experience, it was most frequently triggered by nagging guilt or despair. _

"Caroline, you need to eat," he urged, handing her his half full glass of blood. "Not feeding will make you weak, and with the Council aware of what we are, we need to have our strength at all times," he lectured her.

_She gave no response, so he pushed the glass in front of her. _

"Drink," he demanded.

_She rolled her eyes at him as she took the glass and drank reluctantly. _

"I keep forgetting about the Council," she groaned. "Everything going on with Elena has preoccupied me," she confessed.

_Elena? What was going on with Elena that had Caroline so distracted? _

"What about Elena?" he asked, hoping that whatever it was it wasn't something Tyler was already supposed to know.

_She looked at him with a seemingly shocked expression. _

"That's right, you wouldn't have known. We didn't talk last night," she concluded.

"What is it?" he pressed anxiously.

_She set the glass on the nightstand beside her. _

"Last night Matt was driving Elena out of town to get her away from all of this mess. When we found out that Klaus died, Matt and Elena decided to head back to Mystic Falls so they'd have a chance to say goodbye to everyone they thought might die as a result of Klaus dying – me, Stefan, Tyler. Anyways..." she started shakily. "...anyways, Rebekah ran them off of Wickery Bridge to kill Alaric."

"What did she do?" he said angrily and surprised as he began to piece together where Caroline's story was headed.

_His overdramatic response as Tyler prompted a suspicious glance from her. _

_He pushed himself to relax. _

"What happened?" he asked, hoping he sounded more concerned and upset than enraged.

"Stefan didn't get there in time," she continued. "Elena was still conscious when he found Matt's truck submerged, but she told him to save Matt instead. He did what she asked."

_The recently consumed blood in his system was bubbling and he wanted nothing more than to lash out in response to this latest development, but he was in Tyler's body. How could Stefan be so stupid? He was beginning to reassess his conclusion that Stefan had been Elena's better option. The doppelganger was dead. She was gone, along with her magical blood which was the key to creating his hybrids. All his efforts had been wasted. He gritted his teeth as he thought about what he would do next. Surely destroying his baby sister would be first on his to do list. He needed his body back more than ever. _

"When Elena hit her head at Klaus's the injury had been more severe than Dr. Fell let on. She gave Elena vampire blood," Caroline added.

"She's in transition..." he breathed, connecting the dots.

_He cursed to himself. Doppelganger vampire blood was of no use to him. He loathed the thought of another vampire Petrova out in the world taunting and torturing him with her immortality and the possibility of what could have been. _

"When I saw Stefan last night he said he was going to see if Bonnie could find a way to slow or reverse the transitioning process...but if that doesn't work Elena is either going to die or become a vampire," she informed him.

_Shifting on the bed so he was facing away from Caroline, he uttered a few expletives under his breath and frantically searched for a legitimate excuse to leave. He needed to find Bonnie immediately__._

_His thoughts were drowned out by the sound of Caroline crying lightly behind him. He hated that sound. It put him on edge. _

_He turned back around to find her face littered with fresh tears. _

"Hey," he whispered. "Don't cry."

_She looked at him and then looked up at the ceiling in hopes of containing her tears as she scoffed. _

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I know I should be happy you're alive...but now Elena's becoming a vampire and the Council probably still wants us dead," she explained. "I'm upset and I'm scared," she confessed before wiping her eyes.

_He held her chin to direct her focus. _

"You have nothing to be sorry for lo...Caroline," he assured her, quickly catching his almost slip of the tongue. "A lot has happened. You have every right to be upset."

_He searched for more to say to calm her down. He wasn't exactly skilled in the art of consoling another. _

"Everything will be okay. Elena will be fine if she becomes a vampire. She'll have you to show her the ropes," he told her.

"But what if she doesn't complete the transition?" she asked worriedly. "She's my best friend; I don't want to lose her."

_He sighed, knowing that question was coming. _

"We'll have to respect her choice, like you did with your father," he reminded her.

_She nodded as she sniffled. _

"I know," she responded.

_He combed his hands through her hair tucking the lose strands behind her ears. _

"As for the Council, while you're looking out for Elena, I'll be looking out for you. I won't let anything happen to you," he promised, unsure if it was Tyler or him speaking those words.

_Caught up in the moment and completely forgetful of the fact that he was still in Tyler's body, he kissed her lips lightly. They still tasted of the delicious coppery blood he had just pushed her to consume. _

_Kissing her again was practically all he could think about while he laid paralyzed by desiccation. _

_Using Tyler's lips to achieve his desire was not ideal, but given how fragile his life apparently was, he couldn't help himself. _

_He could only hope that upon returning to his own body that she would freely kiss him again. _

_As he deepened the kiss, he could feel her tense and hesitate. _

_She pulled back, her face lingering in front of his. _

_Her eyes were closed, but he could see tears threatening to break through as she attempted to steady her breathing. _

"Tyler don't," she said. "It's not true what you said about me having nothing to be sorry for," she elaborated.

_He eyed her curiously as she avoided eye contact with him. _

"I have a lot to be sorry for," she admitted, pausing for a few moments. "We need to finish talking about Klaus," she told him, staring directly at him.

_He could have sworn in that moment she saw right through him, but he knew he was only being paranoid. _

_She needed to finish talking about him to Tyler? What did that mean? What had she told him? What did Tyler know? What didn't he know? _

"When I thought you died last night, my biggest regret was that I never got the chance to be honest with you. You deserve my honesty and an apology. I need to do it now while I have you here," she said anxiously.

_He sat there bewildered. _

"I can't tell you what you want to hear," she mumbled as long strings of tears draped her face. "...I can't tell you what you want to hear about Klaus."

_As he listened to her he realized he was probably more nervous than she was. He had no clue what was going on, or what she was about to tell him. He didn't want to say anything stupid prematurely that would give him away. _

_He desperately needed an out. _

_And as though someone was listening to his pleas his cell phone began to buzz loudly behind him. _

_Caroline frowned but sighed in a way that signalled relief. _

_He apologized with his eyes and turned for his phone. _

_Bonnie had finally texted him. _

"_Meet me at the witch burial ground," it read. _

_He stood up from the bed and grabbed for his pants on the floor__**. **_

"Where are you going? Is something wrong?" Caroline asked worriedly.

_He shook his head. _

"Can we talk later? It was my mom. I should probably check in on her. Maybe she has some news about the Council," he lied.

_She looked disappointed but agreed nonetheless._

* * *

_Once at the witch burial ground he entered the old plantation style mansion cautiously, knowing the meeting Bonnie had arranged could very easily be a trap. He was ready for anything at this point. _

_The parlour of the house was surrounded by candles. Bonnie was in the centre searching almost frantically through one of her grimoires. _

_She didn't turn to acknowledge him when he entered the room. _

"You look sleep deprived," he observed. "I don't suppose that would have anything to do with Elena's new predicament," he thought.

_Glaring at him, she nodded. _

"Caroline told you," she concluded.

_He nodded back. _

"My only question is why you didn't bother to tell me," he said bitterly as he began to pace in front of the window. "Seeing as we've grown so close."

"Stefan didn't get a hold of me until after our meeting in the Lockwood cellar," she reasoned.

"A text message would have sufficed," he complained.

_She ignored his grovelling. _

"Did Caroline suspect anything?" Bonnie asked curiously.

_He shook his head. _

"Not a thing. In fact, she welcomed me eagerly into her bed with open... um, arms," he grinned.

_Bonnie shot him a scornful look and he held his hands up in defensive. _

"Don't worry Bonnie, it was completely innocent, I swear on my mother's grave," he smirked.

_She rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the grimoire, flipping the pages incessantly. _

"And has your tireless search for a spell been fruitful?" he asked hopefully.

_As much as he wanted his body back, he wanted Elena's body to remain human almost just as much. Elena's problem was under a time constraint and was thus more pressing than his. _

_She rolled his eyes at him, knowing exactly why he seemed so concerned. _

"If it was, I wouldn't be here searching through this grimoire," she replied sarcastically.

"Touché," he responded. "So then I assume that since you spent all night trying to track down a spell to reverse Elena's transition you've also spent all of your energy; meaning that putting me back in my body is on hold?" he wondered casually, knowing even before she could answer him that he wouldn't like what she had to say.

"It doesn't matter anyways," she said cryptically.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" he asked sharply.

"Your body isn't here," she revealed.

_His entire body tensed and he suddenly felt sick. Impulsively, he grabbed her by her arms and pulled her up from the floor. _

"What did you say!?" he interrogated.

"Your body isn't here," she repeated simply.

_He tightened his grip on her arms. _

"Well if my body isn't here, then where is it?" he implored.

"The Council has it," she answered.

_As if the day wasn't getting any worse. He knew he should have forced Bonnie to place him back in his own body last night. He knew something like this was going to happen. _

"If only I could kill you now," he growled, his hands gripping the skin around her neck.

_She uttered some witch talk and an invisible force pushed him coercively to the other side of the room. _

"It wasn't me who gave your body up to the Council," she said sarcastically.

"Then who did?" he hissed.

"It was Damon," she confessed.

"I should have known. Damon does come up with some brilliant plans, doesn't he?" he mused. "And just why would Damon give me up to the Council?" he asked.

"Caroline's mom asked him to and he agreed before I could meet him," she answered. "She and Damon led the Council to believe that Caroline and Tyler killed you; your body is proof; a peace offering. The Council agreed to take that as a sign of their loyalty. They agreed to leave Caroline and Tyler be so long as there are no more vampire attacks," she explained.

"How do they know my body is in the coffin if you sealed it shut?" he wondered.

_She bit her lip and eyed him nervously. _

"I unsealed it so they could see your body," she admitted.

_He growled and lunged towards her, a spell instantly stopping him in his tracks. _

"Calm down," she urged. "I sealed it shut again after Damon opened the coffin to show them," she reassured him.

"If you had time to do all that without being detected, then why didn't you conduct some spell to bring my body here?" he complained.

"Sealing a coffin is simpler," she said plainly. "I had to act fast."

_He leaned against the old mantel above the fireplace and threw his arms up in the air in defeat. _

"Well you're lucky I made those coffins virtually indestructible, or there would be nothing stopping them from setting it aflame instantly or hacking it into tiny pieces," he revealed.

"Luckily, they decided to store the coffin at the Founder's Hall for safe-keeping. They didn't want to take a chance by burying it. You can thank Damon for that suggestion," she told him. "It seems like the fact that your body didn't turn to dust like your brother Finn's when he was staked has risen more than a few red flags for him," she added.

"Wonderful," he chided.

"It's probably better this way anyways. Your body was badly charred, it needs some time to heal itself before I can put you back in it," she pointed out.

_He groaned. _

"Then I suppose all we need now is a way into the Founder's Hall," he concluded.

_Bonnie nodded. _

"Not until I help Elena," she said, sitting down on the floor and attending to the grimoire once more.

_He laughed at her efforts, even though a part of him desperately hoped she would find something. _

"You won't find anything in that rubbish," he told her.

_She looked up at him questioningly; hopeful that he had an answer to give her. He had nothing. _

"My mother – the original witch – created vampires. Even she could not undo the magic she created. She had to resort to killing my siblings and I to be rid of us. If she couldn't undo vampirism, you surely won't be able to reverse the transition phase for Elena," he decided.

"I have to try," she said sounding more than determined. "You of all people should want that," she remarked.

_He shrugged. _

"I was already prepared to kill Elena myself prior to my desiccation. I had come to terms then with the fact that the number of hybrids I could create would be limited by how much blood I could drain from Elena's body," he answered.

_She scoffed at his comments. _

"If you're not going to help me, then leave," she commanded.

"No need to be rude, witch," he chastised her. "I think a stiff drink is in order after these latest developments. Rest assured that I'll be in touch with you soon about my body," he finished.

* * *

_He stopped by the Lockwood mansion to shower and dress into some of Tyler's jock inspired clothing he abhorred. Luckily Tyler's mother had not been there to harass him with twenty questions that he had no desire to make up answers for. _

_However, his phone had been blowing up with texts from both Tyler's mother and Caroline. They both wanted to know his whereabouts. Both claimed to have news of Klaus and the Council. He snickered. Caroline's texts contained added messages about needing to finish their conversation from earlier. He balked at the texts and refused to reply. He didn't know how to respond and he didn't want another confrontation. Perhaps pretending to be Tyler would be more difficult than he imagined. Of course, it would have been simple had he only had to pretend for a few hours. Now that it seemed he wouldn't be getting his body back for at least another day, being Tyler would prove to be more of a challenge. _

_Rather than raid the Lockwood's liquor supply, he decided going out to the Grill would be more appropriate. As Tyler he knew he needed to keep up appearances. He also knew that he could avoid any confrontations in public. _

_On his way into town he slowed in front of his mansion and debated whether or not to go inside to secure some of his personal effects. Surely the Council would help themselves to his residence believing him to be deceased. _

_However, when a car appeared coming down the drive, he decided against going inside and pulled his car off to the side of the road. _

_He waited for the car to pass. To his surprise and intrigue, Elijah and Rebekah were in the front seats of the black SUV. _

_Perhaps Caroline had crossed paths with one of his siblings the night previous and that's how she obtained the bracelet? _

_Once his siblings were at a safe distance down the road, he pulled back onto the road himself and headed for the Grill. He couldn't deal with his siblings until he was back in his own body. _

_When he arrived at the grill he headed straight for the bar. The perky bartender he had been seducing prior to Caroline's interruption that one evening was working once more. He chuckled at the memory and took a seat. _

_He looked at the clock and noted that it was late afternoon; an appropriate time to begin his drinking binge. _

_The waitress stopped in front of him as he flashed a smile. _

"Afternoon, love," he flirted. "I'll have whatever scotch you're serving...neat," he ordered.

_Her face contorted into one of surprise, confusion, and amusement. _

"Tyler, you're underage. I'll be fired if I serve you," she laughed. "You're mom's right over there," she pointed across the room.

_His face went hot with embarrassment as he realized the mistake he had made. He was Tyler not Klaus, he scolded himself. _

_He turned to see Tyler's mother setting up something on stage with the help of a few girls and guys Tyler's age. _

_Turning back to the waitress he smiled and apologized before catching her eyes with his compulsion. _

"Make it a whiskey and Coke then, and please be discreet about it," he requested.

_She nodded and giggled as she prepped his drink under the cover of the bar. _

"Oh, and I'll have an order of nachos too. Wouldn't want mom getting suspicious," he grinned at her.

_She set his drink on the bar top and headed off for the kitchen. _

"Tyler, there you are," he heard Tyler's mom squeal from behind him.

_His brows furrowed and he complained with an exhale as he turned around on the chair. _

"Mom," he said innocently.

_She hugged him before he could even offer up an explanation. _

"I've been trying to get a hold of you. Liz told me you stayed over at Caroline's last night, but I expected that you'd come and see me sometime today. I'm your mother after all. I'm so happy to see you," she beamed, pulling away from the uncomfortable embrace.

_He forced a smile and nodded in agreement. _

"Sorry, I had some stuff to do. I went by the house but you weren't there," he offered.

"I've been here most of the afternoon setting up for the Miss Mystic nomination party," she informed him. "Speaking of which, have you seen Caroline? I saw her earlier. She's supposed to be here tonight to help me host," she told him.

_He shrugged. _

"I haven't seen her," he answered.

"Well text her for me will you?" she asked as she kissed him on the forehead.

"I will," he replied.

_She smiled and turned back for the stage. _

"Oh wait, did Caroline or Liz happen to tell you about the Council?" she said quietly, approaching him once more.

_He nodded. _

"It's wonderful news. Now you both can stay in Mystic Falls," she exclaimed happily.

_She kissed his cheek much to his distaste before leaving him alone at the bar. _

_Finally, he was able to indulge in his drink. It wasn't his preference, but he could taste the alcohol nonetheless. That's what mattered most at this point. _

_For the time being there was nothing he could do about the fact he was in Tyler's body. He would have to wait a bit longer until Bonnie was done with Elena and had regained her strength. He'd also have to wait for his body to heal itself. He hated the thought of his body in the Council's possession, but at least he knew where it was. He considered going to the Founder's Hall on his own to retrieve the coffin, but it was of no use to him until Bonnie could work her magic. Besides, he'd likely need her magic to get the coffin out of there in the first place. Only a bit longer, he kept telling himself. Repeating that fact did nothing to quell his nerves._

_The alcohol helped, but only a little. _

_He had just finished off his first drink when he heard another pair of heels click across the floor towards him. He knew it was her before he even turned around. The familiar intoxicating flowery scent gave her away. _

"Tyler, where have you been?" she demanded.

* * *

**A/N: So I hope that chapter was mildly interesting. I know it was kind of a filler chapter, so yeah. **

**With respect to my reference to Miss Mystic, (whether you believe me or not) I had intended to incorporate events surrounding Miss Mystic long before real TVD spoilers revealed that we would be revisiting that event in season 4. I have no intention (as of right now) of completely repeating the Miss Mystic Pageant ceremony, but I do intend to have Miss Mystic events leading up to the actual ceremony serve as the backdrop for some of my chapters. **

**Also, I know I'll probably get a lot of heat for keeping Klaus in Tyler's body a little longer. While it may seem like a long time because it takes me awhile to update. I can assure you that Klaus will not be in Tyler's body for more than a few days in the timeline of my story. This will probably translate to one or two more chapters. Please hold tight! I think it will be worth it. As a token of my gratitude for your understanding, know that Caroline is about to discover the truth about Klaus being in Tyler's body very soon. By that, I mean she'll likely find out in the next chapter. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Here's another update for you all! Last chapter broke 200 reviews so I want to thank you for everyone who has contributed comments. You're awesome. **

**This chapter broke the 100,000 word mark. That's crazy! **

**I just want to address those who have commented urging me to keep this story in line with the events of season 4. I apologize for disappointing you, but when I first set out to write this fic that's not something I had ever intended to do. I wanted it to set off from season 3, but then unfold through my own ideas while trying to maintain the characters "in-character" as much as possible. Originally, I wanted to have this fic done before season 4 so that it wouldn't clash with the real story on TVD, but given the fact that it premieres this week, it doesn't look like that will happen. I hope you'll stick around to read this regardless! **

**With that said, I hope you all enjoy the season 4 premiere! I'm sure you're just as excited as I am. Let this chapter help get you through the next few days. I hope you like it.**

**As always ignore the grammar and spelling stuff and pass me along your thoughts when you're done reading.**

* * *

_For a few seconds he was taken back to the night she had confronted him at this very bar. She had scolded him for staring so rudely at her. _

_He turned around to find her standing similarly to how she had been standing that night; an arched eyebrow and a hand on her hip; he noticed the hand on her hip was decorated with his bracelet. _

_This time she looked unimpressed as well as worried. _

_She was dressed up for something; which he quickly concluded was the Miss Mystic nomination party - or whatever Tyler's mother had referred to it as. As usual, she looked flawless. She was dressed in a strapless navy blue satin form fitting party dress. Her hair hung in loose curls around her face. Her smoky eyes made her glare more penetrating and her silver open toe pumps brought her nearly to his height as he stood up to greet her. _

_He cleared his throat to compose himself and hide the fact that he had just shamelessly checked her out. _

"I've been texting you all afternoon," she complained.

"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized right off the bat, knowing an apology from the start would do more to put him back in her favour.

_Elijah had taught him that trick. _

_She looked at him confused and unsure, but her facial expression began to soften. _

"After everything that happened last night and everything that almost happened, I just needed some space and time to clear my head," he lied.

"So is that why you lied to me about seeing your mother?" she questioned. "I talked to her earlier, she said she hadn't seen you," she added.

_He could feel his face draining of blood knowing she had caught him in a lie, but he could still recover from this. _

"Yeah...I just didn't want you to get the wrong impression; that I was bailing because of our conversation," he said.

"Klaus," she interjected.

"Yeah, about Klaus," he replied.

"We need to talk about him eventually," she reminded solemnly.

_He shook his head. _

"I know...and we will," he promised. "I just want one day to enjoy the fact that I'm alive and forget about all the shit that's happened, okay?" he explained.

_Really, he just wanted to avoid having to talk about himself while he was in Tyler's body. He didn't want to fake Tyler's reactions. _

_She nodded hesitantly. _

"Okay," she said softly.

_He exhaled in utter relief. More than not wanting to fake Tyler's reactions, he was anxious about what she had to say. _

"You look radiant," he complimented her, before he had the chance to wonder whether the word 'radiant' was even in Tyler's vocabulary.

_That was trick number two. Complimenting a lady was a sure way to regain her favour. It wasn't purely a trick though. She was beautiful. _

_She blushed and eyed him skeptically. _

"I completely forgot that your mother was throwing the Miss Mystic nomination party tonight at the Grill. This was in the back of my closet. I think I wore it to some Formal in sophomore year," she said self-consciously.

"You look great," he reassured her.

_She smiled at him appreciatively. _

"Thanks," she relented. "I'll have to go shopping before the official nomination ceremony at the Founder's Hall though," she thought aloud

_His ears perked up at her mention of the Founder's Hall. _

"Isn't this the nomination party?" he wondered, fishing for more details.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Tonight everyone is invited to vote for a nominee. The votes are tallied and then the top five are officially nominated as contestants in the pageant at the ceremony at the Founder's Hall," she explained. "I thought I explained this to you a few weeks ago?" she wondered.

_He shrugged. _

"So when is the 'official ceremony'?" he asked.

"This coming Saturday," she replied. "I was kind of hoping you'd still be my date for it," she admitted as she played with her hands anxiously.

_He knew she was referring to the possibility that he'd refuse once she told him whatever she had to tell him about Klaus - er him. But this was too perfect. He needed a way into the Founder's Hall to retrieve his body and now he had it. _

"I don't think that will be a problem," he told her, garnering him a look of surprise from her.

"That's good," she said before exhaling sharply.

"So what time does the party start tonight?" he asked.

"Seven o'clock," she told him.

"Then you can have dinner with me first?" he inquired.

_She looked over at Tyler's mom and the rest of the people helping to set up. _

"I probably shouldn't. I'm already late as it is. I should be helping," she said guiltily.

_He looked over at Tyler's mom who was preoccupied by a clipboard. _

"My mom probably hasn't even seen you, yet. We'll grab a booth in the corner," he urged, leading her across the restaurant towards an empty booth.

_If he was going to be stuck in Tyler's body for at least another day, he was going to take advantage of it and enjoy himself, he thought; only to an extent of course. _

_Caroline seemed suspicious, but he disregarded it. Her delight over his sudden burst of spontaneity seemed to overpower any concerns she might have had. _

_The same waitress brought over his plate of nachos and handed them both new menus. _

_He ordered another whiskey and coke to keep Tyler's mother of his back. _

_Caroline eyed him in horror. _

"Tyler, your mother is right across the room, if she see's you drinking, she'll be the one to kill you," she scolded him.

_He laughed. _

"Hence the Coke," he smirked at her as he turned to the waitress. "Make that a whiskey and Coke...and...a rum and Coke," he decided finally, recalling the drink she had ordered once he had finally convinced her to have one with him their first night at the Grill.

_She was shaking her head, but she seemed pleased that he had ordered her a drink nonetheless. _

_The waitress returned speedily with their drinks and Caroline eyed her glass reluctantly. _

"Live a little," he urged her.

_She passed him a half smile but remained hesitant. _

"I just feel like we're celebrating, and we shouldn't be, you know, with everything that's happening with Elena," she sighed.

_He shrugged. _

"Well if surviving the Council is not sufficient to drink to, then I suppose drinking to forget about all the bad shit is just as sufficient," he argued.

_Another smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she nodded in agreement, sipping on the drink eagerly. _

_He followed suit. _

"I guess you heard about what happened with the Council then?" she suspected.

_He nodded. _

"It's ironic that Klaus ended up being the one to save us," he pointed out.

_She shifted in her seat anxiously. _

"Yeah, it is ironic," she agreed blankly, before taking a long sip of her drink.

_The mere mention of him seemed to strike a chord with her. _

_He would change the subject for now. _

"So...how is Elena?" he inquired, curious to know whether or not Bonnie had actually succeeded.

"I went to see her this afternoon," Caroline informed him. "She seemed in good spirits, but I know she's just trying to put on a brave face for everyone. If they can't find a way to reverse the transition process by tonight, she told me she's going to complete it. She doesn't want to become a vampire, but she doesn't want to leave Jeremy alone either," she said.

_That was the bond of siblings he supposed. Oddly, his would have seen him desiccated for more than a century in a deal they made with Elena. He supposed he probably had that coming given that he had kept them in coffins for decades at a time. _

_From discussing Elena they moved on to more lighthearted topics of conversation, mainly revolving around school, graduation, and prom. She had tried asking him questions about the 'football' team, but given his ignorance regarding American football, he was quick to change the subject back to her. _

_After a second drink and an intense talk about what she should wear to the Miss Mystic nomination ceremony she had loosened up a bit. He never knew someone who could speak that enthusiastically about a single item of clothing, and the fact that she could amused him rather than annoyed him surprisingly. He supposed he was just relieved to see her distracted and seemingly happy about something even though he could tell she was still on edge; that something was still preoccupying her. _

_They were just finishing their meals when a throat cleared to get their attention. _

_He looked up to see Rebekah standing at the end of their table. _

_Caroline's face immediately turned sour. _

_Rebekah glared bitterly at him. _

"What a surprise it is to see you alive and well. How unfortunate it is to discover that the whole bloodline clause was a hoax," she said to him.

_He had to remind himself that it was Tyler she was talking to and not him so that he wouldn't take the insult personally. _

_Before he could respond, Caroline did the honours. _

"What the hell are you doing here? Better yet, what the hell are you still doing in Mystic Falls?" she growled.

_His sister seemed taken aback by her extreme hostility. _

"I live here," she retorted. "I can do that now that Alaric is dead," she said smugly.

_Caroline scoffed and slammed her utensils down. _

"Well after you killed Elena to kill Alaric so that you could stay here, nobody wants you here," she hissed.

_Normally, he would have felt inclined to defend his sister, but his current bodily situation prevented him from doing so and he felt that his baby sister was getting exactly what she deserved. And besides, he was deriving amusement from watching the two bicker back and forth. _

_If he had been in his own body he would give Rebekah a piece of his mind too. Sure, she had done exactly what he himself had planned to do before his desiccation, but that wasn't the point. The point was that she acted prematurely and impulsively. If anyone was going to kill Elena, it should have been him. Thinking about how much of Elena's human blood was wasted as a result of Rebekah's actions enraged him. _

_He could tell that Caroline's words had gotten to his sister, but only he could tell that. Her stone-cold demeanour gave nothing away. _

"I wonder how my brother would feel about you out to dinner with him," Rebekah said, turning a disgusted stare in his direction.

"Leave, now," Caroline said between gritted teeth as she stood up from the booth.

_Caroline was becoming more agitated by the second. He could see the tears in her eyes. _

_Rebekah smirked. _

"First Elijah wanted to flee to spare Elena, and then he gave you that. You have no right to wear that bracelet. Elijah should have never given it back to you," she told Caroline.

_And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. _

"Shut up!" Caroline growled, backing Rebekah into a corner.

_So it had been Elijah who had given the bracelet back to Caroline__.__ And apparently Elijah still had a soft spot for the doppelganger, he mused. _

_He stood up from the table himself to moderate the situation. _

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Caroline spat, pushing Rebekah against the wall.

_That final action garnered the attention of the remaining restaurant patrons who weren't already staring. _

"Girls!" Tyler's mother scolded, preventing his sister from retaliating.

_Both Caroline and Rebekah mustered their most innocent expressions. _

"I don't know what the problem is here, but this is not the place to deal with it," she chastised them. "The Council is keeping a very close eye on you both," she said under her breath. "Caroline, I need you at the stage, and Rebekah, I think you should leave."

_Caroline nodded as she retreated for her things at the table. _

_His curiosity had been piqued. The Council had spared Tyler and Caroline in exchange for his body, but how had his brother and sister manage to fall under the Council's good graces?_

"Mrs. Lockwood, my apologies. Caroline and I had a small misunderstanding. It's settled now," Rebekah assured Tyler's mom as she glanced sweetly in Caroline's direction. "I was coming by for the Miss Mystic nomination party. I hope to be officially nominated," she informed them.

_Caroline's sour expression returned while Tyler's mother seemed appeased by Rebekah's apology. _

_Of course, the fact that his sister was wearing a dress appropriate for such an occasion should have made the purpose of her presence at the Grill clear to him. _

"As you know, my ancestors were the original settlers of Mystic Falls," Rebekah announced proudly.

"Of course," Tyler's mom replied agreeably, but anxiously.

_Caroline scoffed. _

"Mrs. Lockwood, could you please show me where you enter to be a part of the pageant?" Rebekah asked politely.

"Certainly," Tyler's mom responded as she turned to lead Rebekah away.

"I can't believe her!" Caroline complained, before downing her third drink.

_At that point she began to realize that Tyler had been sitting there the entire time; a witness to her entire confrontation with Rebekah, including for the parts about him – Klaus. _

_She rubbed her wrist adorned with the bracelet self-consciously as she glanced apologetically at him. _

"Tyler, I'm sorry," she said. "I – I..." she was searching for an explanation or excuse.

"We'll talk later," he said flatly, trying his best to sound annoyed and bitter. "My mom needs you over there," he reminded her.

_She nodded as she reached into her bag and pulled out her Miss Mystic sash. _

_After she hurried off for the stage, he made his way back to the bar, ordering himself another drink. He hoped the alcohol would prepare him for the acting role he would have later tonight; playing a pissed off and betrayed Tyler. Really, he couldn't be blamed for reacting that way if Caroline ever found out it was him in Tyler's body. Tyler would have reacted that way regardless he suspected. Maybe it was better if they fought; that way he could avoid Caroline until he returned to his body. However, that would mean having to find an alternative way into the Founder's Hall to retrieve his body. This was all under the assumption that whatever Caroline was going to tell "Tyler" about Klaus would upset him. _

_He paid half of his attention to the stage where Tyler's mom was giving a spectacle of a speech about the importance of tradition and the Miss Mystic Pageant. He could see both Caroline and Rebekah exchanging dirty looks with each other from their respective places. _

_Smirking to himself, he turned back to the bar to find Elijah standing at the bar stool beside his. _

"Is this seat taken?" the well-mannered Elijah asked.

_He shook his head awkwardly. _

_Elijah smiled faintly and sat down beside him. _

"Scotch on the rocks, and..." Elijah called to the waitress, eyeing him and his empty glass expectantly.

"Whiskey and Coke," he mumbled embarrassed, jerking his head towards the stage to point at Tyler's mother.

_Elijah smirked and nodded in understanding and ordered him another. _

_He studied his brother closely. Perhaps he knew of the body swap? Perhaps he didn't? He couldn't be sure. _

_After Elijah's little agreement with Elena, he decided it was best not to inform his brother of his latest reincarnation; at least not until he had his own body back. He had to keep his guard up. He couldn't trust Elijah. _

"Before I say anything more, I want to apologize for my sister's behaviour. I assure you I had no part in her actions. I am sorry for what happened to your friends Matt and Elena," he explained.

_That he had yet to be completely certain of. _

"I'm sure you are," he retorted sarcastically, thinking it would be something Tyler would say.

"I must say, for obvious reasons, I am surprised to see you here," Elijah pointed out, referring to the fact that he was sired by Klaus.

"You and me both," he acknowledged, taking a sip of his drink.

_Elijah gave him a knowing smile. _

"I'm curious to know what happened to you last night..." he inquired.

_He shrugged. _

"I felt this excruciating pain; I felt like I was transitioning and then I blacked out," he lied.

_Elijah seemed confused. _

"I guess that whole bloodline thing was bullshit," he added.

_Elijah laughed faintly and nodded. _"So it would seem."

"I'm also surprised to see you here given the fact that Alaric exposed you and Caroline to the Council prior to his demise," Elijah stated.

_He was under one of Elijah's famous inquisitions he groaned to himself. He could say nothing about his body being with the Council. _

"My mother pulled some strings and called in a few favours. I guess the Council wanted Klaus more than us," he said, hoping that would be enough to quench Elijah's curiosity.

_Elijah nodded. _

"I should be asking you why you're still here since the Council obviously knows that you and your sister are related to Klaus," he countered, eager to find the explanation.

"I guess the Council wanted a balanced municipal budget this year more than they wanted Rebekah and me," he informed him. "I made a generous donation to the town coffers this morning," he explained.

_He suspected that some of that money had more than likely belonged to him. He would have to address that matter with his brother when he was back in his own body. _

_He shook his head in understanding._

"The moral malleability of humans never ceases to amaze me," Elijah observed.

"Well I think it's going to take more than money to get everyone off of Rebekah's back for what she did to Elena," he said, knowing it might be something Tyler would say.

_Although it was coming from Tyler's lips, he hoped Elijah would heed his warning. If he knew the Salvatores well enough, he knew they were likely already planning a revenge scheme against his sister. He might have been upset with her, but he was still going to look out for her. _

"I know. I hope to redress the situation," Elijah answered.

_They sat there together for a few moments in silence, drinking and watching Caroline as she got up to say a few words about the Miss Mystic Pageant. _

_He watched her in awe as she addressed all the Miss Mystic hopefuls and their supporters. He marvelled at how she could act as though everything was perfect; that nothing was wrong. _

"I wasn't aware that Miss. Forbes was Miss Mystic Falls," Elijah noted from beside him. "It makes sense though. She's very charming."

_He got the distinct impression that his brother was more familiar with Caroline than he was letting on. _

"She is," he agreed.

_Indeed, she was. Somehow at some point she had completely charmed him. _

"You're very lucky to have her," Elijah added.

_Again, he had to remind himself that he was Tyler and not himself. _

"I am," he acknowledged.

_Once Caroline was done her short – and he suspected slightly improvised – speech, Tyler's mother opened the nomination process. _

_Elijah finished his drink and placed a few bills on the bar top. Elijah's honesty amused him. He could have easily compelled the drinks for free. _

"If you'll excuse me, my sister is counting on me for a vote," he mused as he slid off the bar stool.

"Thanks for the drink," he said as his brother turned for Rebekah.

_Upon finishing the drink that Elijah purchased for him, he ordered another. Getting through being in Tyler's body for a length of time was going to require alcohol. _

_As the actual voting for the Miss Mystic nominees drew to a close a DJ took over and began to play the usual annoying dance music that young people seemed so enthralled with. _

_He considered that his cue to leave, but he recalled implying to Caroline that he would wait until she was done. _

_With the ringing of the dance music threatening to make his ears bleed at any moment, he was beginning to prefer the idea of discussing Klaus – him – with Caroline as Tyler. _

_He noticed his sister making small talk with some of the other girls, but Caroline was nowhere to be found. _

_His mind began to race as he anxiously scanned the Grill for her. He tuned in his hearing to catch her voice. Relief hit him when she could be heard behind him. _

_Turning in his seat to investigate, he noticed Caroline at the side entrance to the restaurant in a secluded corner talking to his brother. _

_She had a drink in her hand and appeared to be emotional. _

_He was ready to get up and confront Elijah until he noticed him give her a friendly hug which she reciprocated. Unable to resist temptation he eavesdropped in on their conversation. _

"Again, I'm sorry for not believing you last night," she apologized.

"There's no need to apologize Caroline, if I had been in your position I would have jumped to the same conclusion. It makes perfect sense that I might want Elena dead. There's no harm done," he assured her. "If you need anything do not hesitate to ask," he told her before saying goodnight and exiting the restaurant.

_Not only did Elijah have a soft spot for his doppelganger, he also seemed to have a soft spot for his girl. He found it unsettling, but he tried his best to not to jump to conclusions as Elijah alluded to in his own conversation with Caroline. Elijah was obviously aware of Caroline's relationship with him; perhaps he was simply trying to comfort her in lieu of his death. _

_He turned away when Caroline started in his direction. _

"I'm surprised you're still here," she said as she sat down at the bar beside him.

"Why is that?" he asked dumbfounded.

_She shrugged. _

"You never just sit at the bar and drink. I thought for sure you would have left for Matt's or something; either because you were bored or because I scared you off," she mused.

_He chuckled as he made a mental note to text Matt Donovan. He and Tyler were friends. It would be strange if Tyler avoided him, especially after what happened the night before. _

"Well I'm still here," he reassured her.

_She smiled appreciatively. _

"Someone had to keep an eye on you and Rebekah," he joked.

_She scoffed. _

"Don't even get me started on her. I need another drink," she complained as she swirled the straw around in her nearly empty glass. "This whole night feels like it's been a disaster," she groaned.

"You did well," he reaffirmed as she signalled to the waitress for another drink.

"I'm glad the fact that I completely winged that speech wasn't noticeable," she laughed, accepting a full glass from the waitress.

_He took a drink as she did. _

"I noticed you talking with Elijah..." he started.

_She paused with her glass raised and looked at him curiously. _

_Setting her drink down, she shrugged off his question. _

"He was just apologizing for Rebekah," she informed him.

_She was neglecting to add the part about her own apology; their apparent meeting last night; or Elijah's polite offer of assistance. _

"He talked to me too," he responded.

_A panicked look swept across her lovely features. _

"He did? What did he say?" she asked.

"Just wanted to know what happened to me last night...he was curious to know how we got the Council off our backs...he so much as admitted that he blackmailed them into getting them off of his..." he recounted.

_He could see her body relax. _

"You know, when I first got here I was dead set against drinking or enjoying myself, but I really just want a few moments to forget about all the bad stuff too. I mean, I think we deserve to celebrate the fact that we're both still here and we no longer have to worry about the Council," she argued.

_She seemed like she was forcing her excitement; trying to bury her pain. _

"I know you'd probably rather be at some house party with a keg, but would you stay here with me?" she said, almost pleading. "We'll deal with everything tomorrow?" she proposed hopefully.

_He really wanted to get their conversation about him – Klaus – over with, but again, he couldn't seem to resist her charm. _

"Okay," he relented.

_Her expression widened into a smile. _

"To forgetting the 'bad stuff'" he raised his glass.

_She touched her glass with his before finishing the rest of her drink in one final swoop. _

_Indeed, she was trying to bury something, he thought. _

_They drank casually a little longer, with no more talk of the Council, Elena, or Klaus – him. They talked about prom, graduation, and next steps, but he felt like she was holding back with him – with Tyler. Truth be told, he was holding back with her. _

_As the night progressed and Tyler's mother left, both he and Caroline consumed their fair share of liquor; although he felt relatively sober; Caroline less so. The alcohol was definitely beginning to outweigh the blood in her system. He could tell by her movements and giggles; and the way she kept bringing up old memories that he had no recollection of. _

"And remember that time in elementary school when you put glue in my hair? I was so mad at you," she laughed.

_He smirked and nodded, trying his best to play along. Really, he was just admiring the sight of her happy, even if it was alcohol induced. _

_Her laughter began to fade as she realized he wasn't as amused by the memory as she was. _

"What's wrong? Something's wrong. You usually love talking about all the times you tortured Elena, Bonnie, and I in elementary school," she said worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just wondering how someone so awkward in middle school became as beautiful as you..." he admitted, hoping that his joke didn't backfire on him.

_Her eyes widened and her mouth went agape. She seemed surprised, impressed, and annoyed by his backhanded compliment. _

"Shut up!" she said playfully. "Don't make me remind you of how awkward you were in middle school. One word: puberty," she snorted.

_He snickered as she climbed off the bar stool. _

"Where are you going?" he asked.

_She grabbed him by the hand. _

"You owe me a dance for that so-called 'compliment'" she chided him. "I know how much you love dancing," she mused sarcastically.

_He followed her reluctantly. He wanted nothing more than to dance with her, but not like this; not as Tyler. _

_He tried his best to keep his distance from her on the dance floor without appearing to be rude. The crowd was not as big as it was the last time he was here with her so they didn't have to be as close, although her efforts to dance with him kept bringing them together. _

_It was short-lived though. _

_The DJ's set quickly broke into song that had played the night they were here together and both of them tensed awkwardly as they recognized the beat. _

_She eyed him questioningly as she stepped back. _

"I need to go home," she declared.

_With that, she turned hurriedly back to the bar and he followed her. _

_Tyler would have asked her what was wrong, but he never did. He had a pretty good idea of what was bothering her._

* * *

_She pushed her way through the crowd of smokers gathered around the side entrance of the bar. Her eyes were glassy with tears but she managed to hold them back as Tyler followed her into the parking lot. _

_The cool spring air sobered her up, but only slightly. She was still buzzed. _

_She didn't feel bad about drinking. If she was being honest it had helped her get through the night. It had helped her forget for a few brief hours. _

_The song had brought her back to reality._

_Her guilt and heartache had instantly returned as the memories she briefly shared with Klaus were retold with the music she had danced with him to. _

_How could she be here pretending to be the happy Miss Mystic Falls? How could she be here with Tyler? Drinking, dancing, and fooling herself into thinking she could just forget as if it was that easy. _

_She felt like she was suffocating. She was being suffocated by her despair and her guilt. Moreover, she was being suffocated by Tyler. He had been off all day. Something was up with him. She had a feeling it had to do with what she had to tell him about Klaus but she couldn't be sure. He was being so attentive and understanding despite everything. It didn't make any sense. It only made her feel guiltier. She had come so close so many times to being honest with him today it wasn't funny. She knew she would have to sooner or later. _

_Rebekah's words were haunting her too. Maybe Rebekah was right. Maybe she didn't deserve to wear the bracelet. _

_She reached her car in the parking lot and fumbled around in her purse for her keys. _

"Caroline!" Tyler called after her worriedly.

_He grabbed her wrist before she had a chance to open the driver's side door. _

"Let me drive you home. You're in no condition," he protested as he draped his jacket needlessly over her shoulders.

"Tyler I'm fine. I only had a couple drinks. Besides, it would take a lot to kill me," she remarked, referring to her vampire state.

"All it takes is a piece of wood to pierce your heart," he reminded her.

_She knew he was right. She was not completely immortal. _

_As she considered that fact she wondered if she would meet Klaus again in death. The distant sound of his voice telling her how completely stupid she was for even thinking that prompted her to relent to Tyler. _

"Fine," she agreed.

_He exhaled in relief and took her by the hand. _

_She wanted to pull away. She wanted to scream at him right here in the parking lot. Why the hell was he being so nice to her? Why did he care so much? She held back though. Maybe Tyler was turning over a new leaf? Maybe coming so close to death had changed him. Why was it such a concern to her? Why did she want him to be angry with her? _

_He helped her into the car and she slouched in the passenger's seat. _

_He said nothing more to her. He didn't even ask her what had provoked her sudden change of mood on the dance floor. _

_Maybe he was in denial. He had been avoiding the topic of Klaus all night. He claimed it was because he wanted to enjoy the night; to appreciate the fact he was still here to enjoy it. She respected that. But maybe he simply wanted to avoid the topic because he knew what she would say would destroy him and them. _

_When they arrived at her house, it was completely dark and her mom's car was gone._

She sighed and climbed out of the car.

_Tyler was once more by her side, leading her into the house. _

"Do you need anything?" he asked her.

"Tyler, I'm fine," she assured him as she stumbled into the front hall. "Trust me, the heels make me appear more drunk than I actually am," she laughed as she stepped out of them, granting her feet instant relief.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes!" she snapped, tearing his jacket from her shoulders.

_He looked at her wide-eyed, completely surprised by her outburst. _

_More guilt; he was being nothing but nice to her and she had thrown it back in his face. She was completely unjustified. If anything, she should have been on her hands and knees endlessly thanking him for not abandoning her; for understanding. _

_She needed to stop pretending that Klaus was still alive; that at any moment he'd come through her front door and be standing right in front of her. She needed to focus on what she did still have. Sure, Klaus had changed how she felt about Tyler, but he was still here. In her buzzed state of mind she believed he could make her forget. _

_She leaned against the wall and eyed Tyler apologetically. _

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

_He nodded. _

"I do need something," she confessed.

"What?" he asked concerned, stepping towards her.

"Don't let the night be over yet," she said shakily. "I don't want it to be over. I need to forget about all the bad shit," she continued, referring to his earlier words. "Just for a bit longer," she said. "Please, just help me forget," she said pleadingly, on the verge of tears.

_He looked at her confused and unsure. _

"How?" he asked.

_She practically fell into him and kissed him desperately. _

_He pulled away instantly and stared at her questioningly. _

_She kissed him again hoping to convince him. _

_He deepened the kiss as she stepped backwards towards her bedroom. _

_They were kissing frantically as if both wanted the same thing; to forget. _

_Her efforts to forget were so successful that she didn't even feel like she was kissing Tyler anymore. His kiss had changed; it was more possessive and longing; it was familiar, but different. _

_She kissed him harder and suddenly he recoiled. _

_He stepped back and eyed the floor shamefully. _

"I can't do this," he admitted. "We can't do this."

_She struggled to catch her breath as she stood there in confusion. _

"Why not?" she questioned.

_He shrugged. _

"Because you're drunk," he said.

"I'm not!" she argued. "And even if I was, that hasn't stopped you before," she pointed out.

"You're buzzed enough to think this is what you want, but it's not," he argued.

_She scoffed as she grew angrier. _

"Don't tell me what I'm supposed want," she told him. "I want this," she declared as she reached for his arm.

_He stepped back in response. _

"You don't want me!" he shouted, grabbing her wrist and holding it up.

_The bracelet slid down her wrist and fell against his fingers._

_Tears hit her cheeks. _

_She ripped her arm from his grasp. _

"So this has nothing to do with the fact that I'm drunk," she said bluntly and hurtfully. "It has everything to do with Klaus," she concluded.

_He didn't deny it. _

_She knew this was it. She would tell him. She had no other choice. _

"I slept with him," she admitted, tears falling freely.

_She expected him to explode, but he stood there frozen and awkward. _

"More than once," she continued.

"Caroline..." he hesitated.

"No. You're going to hear it all. I'm not going to stop," she protested.

_She had begun a process of confession that she couldn't stop. She would tell him everything. _

"I swear I tried to resist him at first...all his advances; saving my life, the bracelet, the drawing, the dress, everything. But I felt something; something I couldn't just send back to him. Then one night, I just stopped resisting," she explained. "My dad was dead, you were gone, everyone else was preoccupied with Elena and he was there...the only one there who listened to me; who cared about what I was going through, who could make me forget," she sobbed.

_Still, he remained stoic and unflinching. _

"I tried so hard to end things. I wanted so badly for you and I to pick up where we left off when you came back, but it wasn't working. My feelings changed. I didn't care about you the same way I did before him," she said.

_She paused for a few moments as she examined the bracelet on her wrist. _

"I hate him!" she confessed angrily. "He's hurt everyone I care about..." she trailed off. "But I hate him most for making me love him," she breathed.

_She covered her mouth with the slip of her admission. She had intended to tell Tyler almost everything, but not that. _

"I'm sorry," she cried. "But he's dead now Tyler. He's gone!" she sobbed angrily as she tore at the clasp of the bracelet.

_She tossed the bracelet onto the dresser. _

_He winced. _

"He's gone, and he's not coming back," she cried.

_He eyed her nervously. He swallowed hard before releasing a heavy breath. _

"I'm not gone, love" he said finally.

_She scowled at his cruel attempt to console her. _

"What? Tyler why are you talking like that? What's going on?" she demanded.

"It's me, Caroline, Klaus," he continued.

"What? Tyler Is this your idea of revenge? To play some sick joke on me?" she wondered.

"I'm alive," he said.

_She stood there in disbelief, waiting expectantly for Tyler to reveal the truth. _

"Bonnie put me in Tyler's body before Alaric staked mine," he explained.

"You're lying. Tyler stop it!" she begged. "I know I hurt you, but don't do this to me," she cried.

"I'm not lying," he replied. "That night at the Grill you told me you've always wanted to go to France... and I told you to do things that scare you. And at the decade dance you asked me if I could love you..." he reminded her.

_Her eyes widened in shock and she stepped back from him, staring at him with a horrified and stunned expression. _

"Klaus..." she whispered.

_She brought her hand to her mouth in surprise before swiping it across his face in one swift motion._

* * *

**A/N: So Caroline found out...love it? Hate it? She basically admitted to "Tyler" Klaus that she loves him. I feel like it might have been too premature, but as I wrote it just kind of came out...just like how it happened in the chapter. My reasoning is that she didn't know it was Klaus when she said it.**

**Also, I'm not sure how the real Miss Mystic Falls pageant works on the show. I just remember there being five contestants or something like that at the end when the episode from season 1 aired. This is how it works in my fic, so if you don't like it, it's not my problem :D**

**And in terms of actual season 4 TVD, my story is definitely departing from that. In the season 4 premiere the Council appears to be after the vampires of Mystic Falls from the get go. I worked around that a little bit. That's not to say that the Council has been permanently dealt with in my story though...dun dun dun.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wow, just when I think interest was beginning to slow with this fic, a whole mess of reviews pour in quickly for the last chapter. You guys are fantastic!  
**

**It's almost blasphemous of me to post a chapter that's this short, but this is the conclusion to the last chapter.**

**I'm sure you all watched the season premiere yesterday night, what did you think of it!? **

**As usual, happy reading and please feel free to share your thoughts in the form of a review when you're finished.**

* * *

_She was breathing rapidly from shock as she watched him clench his cheek in pain. It hadn't been a human hit; she had slapped his face with full blown vampire force. He deserved it. _

_There was a flurry of emotions whirling within her. _

_Klaus was alive. He was here, standing in front of her, albeit in Tyler's body. Her instincts had been right about Tyler all night. There was something off about him. Klaus wasn't dead. The relief and butterflies of excitement she felt was amazing. _

_She surprised him once more by falling into his arms as she cried. Although she had hesitated at first given the sight of Tyler in front of her, she couldn't hold back. She needed to feel a part of Klaus. _

"You're alive," she sobbed almost incomprehensibly.

_He brought his hands hesitantly around her and held her against him. _

_As she cried into his - or Tyler's t-shirt - her thoughts turned to the ones that had prompted her initial physical outburst. _

_Klaus had lied to her. He could have told her from the moment he first saw her as Tyler what happened. Sure, only a day had passed. Instead, he led her to believe that he was dead; that Tyler was dead. She had even spent a few hours worried that she, Stefan, and Damon were also dead. It had been one of the most emotionally draining days of her life. She had spent a day heartbroken and utterly sick over the thought of him dead. He could have spared her the pain. _

_More than that, Klaus was using Tyler, and his and Bonnie's deception had helped cost Elena her life. _

_She couldn't just forget about all that. _

_The hostility she felt returned and she pried herself away to confront him. _

"How could you!?" she demanded. "How could you do that to me?" she cried.

_He stammered and eyed her apologetically. _

"I'm sorry, but it had to be done," he confessed.

"It had to be done?" she asked appalled. "You faking Tyler's death in front of me had to be done? You pretending to be Tyler today had to be done? You letting me pour my heart out just now thinking you were Tyler had to be done? Do you know traumatizing it was to think Tyler was dying knowing I never got to set things right with him? How horrible I felt to know that you were gone and I never got a chance to tell you how I felt? How embarrassed I am now that I just did thinking you were Tyler?" she lamented.

_He shook his head regretfully. _

"It wasn't supposed to be this way," he told her.

_She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. _

"Then how was it supposed to be?" she asked expectantly.

"I needed you to believe that I was dead; that Tyler was dead," he said

- "Why?" she interrupted.

"At the time Bonnie and I thought that Alaric was still alive. If Alaric believed that I was dead, that would give me some semblance of protection. You needed to believe it so everyone else would too," he defended himself.

_She could see his point, but the experience of it was no less disturbing. _

"So what about after then? After I told you about Elena? Why didn't you tell me then?" she confronted.

_He shrugged cowardly. _

"I expected to be back in my own body by this morning. I thought I'd be back in my body and Tyler in his before there was even a chance that you would suspect something. Neither Bonnie or I expected your mother to convince Damon to give my body up to the Council in order to protect you and Tyler," he stated. "With my body vulnerable, the less people who knew the truth, the better," he reasoned.

_She scoffed. _

"You were just planning on not telling me then?" she wondered.

_She knew Tyler's guilty expression and Klaus was not good at hiding it. _

"So you don't trust me?" she concluded bitterly.

"I'm telling you now aren't I?" he retorted.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Yes, now that I have you backed into a corner," she pointed out.

_She sat down on her bed as she watched him pace angry and frustrated in front of her. _

_As she watched him in Tyler's body she scolded herself for not realizing the subtle differences sooner. It would have taken Tyler days to pick up on the fact that she had been neglecting to feed; his reaction regarding Elena had been completely suspect; Tyler had been so eager to discuss Klaus that his recent avoidance of the topic should have alerted her; he had been entirely vacant during her earlier trip down memory lane; he reacted the same as her when the familiar song was played at the Grill. She should have known. _

"But you know now," he repeated.

"Yes, but not after experiencing undue trauma!" she said dramatically as she glared at him.

"If anyone should be angry, it should be me," he said selfishly. "You claim to care, but where the hell were you when your boyfriend and Elena's boyfriends helped desiccate me?" he spat.

_Her eyes widened at him. _

"I was at home; where you told me to go after Alaric almost killed me, remember?" she hissed.

_He backed down as he seemed to recall instructing her to stay inside. _

_She stood back up to confront him. _

"If it wasn't for me your body would be at the bottom of the Atlantic," she added emotionally.

_He paused and eyed her curiously. _

"How do you think your siblings found out about what happened?" she asked rhetorically. "I called your brother Elijah and told him what happened. He was here to make a deal with Elena for your body because I called him; me, I did that for you," she emphasized.

_She could tell he was surprised and impressed; maybe even a little flattered. But a flash of disappointment from him erased that as he recounted the terms of that deal. _

"A deal that would have seen me desiccated for over a century," he scowled.

- "Better than an eternity!" she argued. "At least try to be a little grateful," she cried. "We had this conversation before. No matter how much I care for you, I will never compromise my friendship with Elena. I was looking out for the both of you. I could care less if you hate me for it," she said sternly.

_She was lying. Had the original plan been a success and Klaus awoke one hundred years from now and despised her for letting his hybrid dream slip through the cracks, she would have been heartbroken._

* * *

_Her defensive posture had startled but impressed him. He admired her steadfastness. Even though it would have compromised his interests had the original plan went through he admired it nonetheless. She was right, they had this conversation before. While she had seemed willing to choose between him and Tyler, he knew he could not ask her to choose between him and Elena's well-being. She had made that clear, which is why he had let her go in the first place. _

_Somehow she had managed to find a middle ground between protecting Elena and ensuring his survival. Although she had sacrificed some of his interests in the name of that middle ground, she had remained relatively loyal to both he and Elena. Deep down he knew he couldn't hold her loyalty to Elena against her. He valued that most; loyalty. She was loyal to him as she could be. The vulnerability he felt having revealed his true self to her seemed to dissipate with that realization. _

_His cheek still stung from the physical blow she dealt him but he understood. While he had his reasons for not being honest, he knew her reaction was probably justified. _

_She was staring at him nervously now, waiting for his response to her take it or leave it proposition. _

_After coming so close to death; believing that he would never have another chance with her, how could he hate her now? _

"I don't hate you sweetheart," he revealed. "I could never," he whispered self-consciously as he reached out to touch her cheek.

_She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face against the palm of his hand. _

_Of course it was with Tyler's hands that he caressed her face, but he had to feel her. He wanted her to feel him. _

_A part of him wanted to give her more; offer her more reassurance; but he hesitated. _

"Apparently you hate me though..." he trailed off, referring to her earlier admission.

_She hated him for making him love her, he reminded himself. She said that she loved him. He was now second guessing whether she had actually said that or he had just been imagining it. _

"Your pessimism chooses to focus on the wrong part of that confession," she corrected him as she opened her eyes to gaze at him.

_Seeing Tyler staring back at her prompted her to step back from his touch and she looked around the room guiltily. _

"Where's Tyler?" she asked. "Can he feel this? Does he know what's going on?" she asked nervously.

_He shook his head. _

"Once I'm put back in my body, Tyler will return to his. He won't be aware of what happened while I possessed him," he explained.

_She nodded in understanding. _

"So what's stopping you from returning to your – oh yeah, the Council has your body," she recalled. "How do we get it back?"

"It's at the Founder's Hall..."

_A look of realization spread across her face. _

- "The Miss Mystic nomination ceremony!?" she gasped. "That's why you were so interested in it earlier; you want to crash the ceremony to get your body back," she concluded.

_He smirked at her dramatics. _

"Love, nobody said anything about crashing. I'll merely accompany you to the event as your date. Bonnie will attend as a spectator, and while you're mesmerizing the crowd with your beauty and charm, she and I will locate my body so she can put me back in it," he said simply.

_Her face contorted and he could tell she wasn't buying it. _

"It can't be that easy. They probably have surveillance and security," she warned. "And as soon as they know your body isn't in that coffin all hell will break loose," she predicted.

_He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders before cradling her face. _

"Bonnie and I will deal with all that," he assured her. "It'll be fine, love, I promise," he finished confidently.

"The last time you said something like that you were desiccated and almost killed," she said worriedly, turning away from his persistent stare.

_He focused her attention back to him. _

"Trust me..." he urged. "This could be our only decent chance," he added as he dropped his hands.

_She exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes. _

"Okay," she relented. "But no scenes, okay?" she stipulated.

"No scenes," he agreed.

"You and Bonnie will get your body and then get out. Nobody can see you," she said.

_He laughed at her apprehension. _

"No need to worry," he stated. "In the meantime no one else can know that I'm in Tyler's body," he told her.

_She nodded and he glared at her for reassurance. _

"Trust me," she said, repeating the directions he had given to her back to him.

_He eyed her for a few moments, but didn't verbally reply. _

_As he turned his back to her he could hear the small breath of frustration escape her lips. She was displeased with his lack of response, he knew as much, but he couldn't bring himself to say what she wanted to hear; not yet. _

_He picked up the bracelet from the dresser she had cast aside. From the reflection of the mirror above he could see her behind him, arms folded, searching for the right words to confront him with. _

"So what happens after that then?" she asked.

"After what?" he stalled.

"After you're back in your body; what happens after that?" she clarified.

_He shrugged. _

"Fight or flight," he concluded.

_She shook her head. _

"No, not with the Council, with us..." she corrected.

_He considered her question anxiously.  
_

"The same thing, I suppose," he said cryptically.

_She scoffed, clearly unimpressed with his answer. _

"You seem dismayed?" he played stupid.

"I just poured my heart out to you and that's all you can say?" she wondered, hurt by his lack of acknowledgement of what she had said to him as Tyler. "You never did answer the question I asked you at the dance..." she reminded him.

_He hesitated. That seemed to be one of the many effects she had on him. He never had to hesitate before her. _

"Caroline...I-I..."

_The sound of her mother entering the house distracted them both. _

_He gritted his teeth in annoyance and turned to Caroline before her mother interrupted. _

_Taking the bracelet he clasped it around her wrist once more. _

"Trust that sometimes actions speak louder than words, sweetheart," he explained before her mother appeared in the entrance to her bedroom.

"Mom," Caroline said, turning towards the doorway with a fake smile.

"It's so nice to see you two here," her mom confessed. "I hated the idea of having you two run," she admitted. "How was the nomination party?" she asked.

"It was good," Caroline replied, clearly not in the mood for small talk.

_Her mother nodded. _

"Listen, I know you two have been through a lot this past day or so, but I think your mom would like you home tonight, Tyler," her mother said.

_He detested the thought of having to spend time with Tyler's mother, but knew he couldn't protest in front of Caroline's mother. _

"Of course Mrs. Forbes, I was just leaving," he said.

_When Caroline's mother decided to stand there awkwardly in the doorway effectively preventing them from privacy he growled under his breath. _

_He leaned in and kissed Caroline chastely on the cheek. _

"Sweet dreams, love," he whispered to her.

* * *

**A/N: So was it what you were expecting? Was it awkward? Personally, I feel that it was, but in a way I think that was my intention all along. I needed it to be a reunion of mixed emotion; it wouldn't be one of pure sunshine and rainbows and "I love you's." If you recall, prior Klaus and Caroline's last run in when he was in his body (at the school during 3x21), they had hit a sort of fork in the road in my story****,****and even though the issue of Elena appears to be solved, Klaus and Caroline still have their lingering issues to deal with. Let me know what you thought.**

**I've come to a point in this story where I'm not quite sure how to proceed, so an update may take awhile. I feel like there should probably be a filler chapter in between this one and the one where they get Klaus's body back, but I'm not sure what a filler chapter would consist of. How do you feel about that? Is there anything you think needs to be addressed? Anything you would like to see? Or should I just move on to Klaus getting his body back? I'm going to sleep on it.**

**Also, I'm re-posing the question I asked of you all earlier in this story, just to see if opinions have changed or not. As much as I'm here to write for myself, I always want to take into consideration the wishes of those of you who take the time to read and/or review. Happy ending? Sad ending? Bittersweet? I have an ending planned for each of those options. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Wow, so many lovely reviews for the last chapter. It probably gets old hearing it, but thank you. Thank you for your time and your thoughts. Also, thanks for responding to my questions. **

**There is a general consensus amongst reviewers that there be a happy ending. I'm not making any promises, but know that your opinions do have a huge influence on me. I take them seriously, so I'll see what I can do...**

**With that said, most said a filler chapter was not necessary. This chapter wasn't meant to be a filler chapter. I had intended this to be the chapter where Klaus returns to his body. However, as I began writing, the chapter became very long. I know most of you appreciate lengthy chapters, but shorter chapters are easier for me to read over a few times before I post them. So, I cut the chapter in half and thus, this sort of became the "filler" chapter, heh. I am about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way done the next chapter, so expect it to be posted soon.**

**As usual, look over any spelling and/or grammatical errors, enjoy it, and leave me your thoughts! Oh, and enjoy the second TVD episode tonight!**

* * *

_The complaint of the doorbell pulled her attention away from a re-run of the Bachelor. She had been trying to distract herself from reality. _

_As she climbed off the sofa she mused at the difficulty of choosing a partner from a handful of people. It didn't get any easier once the choice was made. She thought she had been clear about her own choice, and yet, it turned out that the choice was half the battle. The other half of the battle was getting that person to clearly choose you back; to know where you both stood. _

_Klaus had been so unresponsive and vague when she had been so open and honest about how she felt. Elena was a vampire now; she had been the only thing standing in their way, and yet he hesitated. Of course, she hadn't really expected him to fall down on his knees professing his undying love for her, but she expected more of a reaction; acknowledgement. He had come so close to death and yet he still could not tell her how he felt. _

_It made her anxious. She had worn her heart on her sleeve, and now it seemed as though he was having second thoughts. The Elena issue may have been resolved but the question she confronted him with at the decade dance clearly had not been. Could he give her love? She was still unsure. _

_She expected to see Klaus as Tyler at her front door, but it was Elena instead. _

_According to Stefan, Elena had had a few close calls when it came to humans and their blood, but other than that Elena's transition into vampirism had been relatively smooth. She felt bad that she hadn't been there for Elena as much as she wanted to be, but things with Klaus had her preoccupied. _

"Elena," she said surprised. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

_Elena smiled. _

"Hey. I thought I'd come over and get ready for the Miss Mystic Nomination Ceremony with you," she replied. "With everything going on, I thought it would be nice to hang out. Matt's with Tyler right now; they're gonna pick us up in an hour or so," she explained.

_The gesture on Elena's part was sweet. She missed Elena and this would be a good opportunity to see how Elena was doing. However, the thought of Matt with Klaus as Tyler put her on edge. What would Matt say to him? What would Klaus say to Matt? _

"You're coming to the dinner tonight?" she said as she stepped aside to let Elena in.

_Elena nodded. _

"I finally convinced Damon and Stefan to let me go out on my own," she said as she went to enter.

_Elena stopped abruptly at the entrance and instantly she knew why; she needed to be invited inside. _

"Sorry!" she apologized to an embarrassed Elena.

_Luckily, her mother stormed out of the bathroom in full police uniform towards them. She was running late for a work-shift. _

_She had told her mother about Elena already, so when her mom saw both of them staring at her expectantly – Elena on the outside and her on the inside – she knew what to do. _

"Elena, sweetie, come inside," her mom urged.

_Elena smirked and entered. _

"Sorry I can't stop to chat. I'm late for a shift. Good luck tonight Caroline," her mom said, briskly kissing her on the cheek before sprinting off the porch to her car.

_She and Elena both smiled at her mom, before Elena turned her attention back onto her. _

"This vampire thing is going to take some getting used to. Jeremy had to invite me inside our house yesterday," she sighed. "I'm surprised you haven't started getting ready yet..." Elena gasped as she eyed her in her pink fleece housecoat.

_Elena's last comment effectively prevented her from keeping the topic off of her. _

_She sighed. _

"I'm just not really feeling up for this tonight," she admitted

_Admittedly, she was nervous to be a part of the Miss Mystic events for the night, but it had more to do with the fact that Klaus would be getting his body back tonight. That process alone was making her anxious, but what was to come following that had also been on her mind. _

_Elena eyed her curiously. _

"Upset that your reign as Miss Mystic is coming to an end?" Elena asked humorously.

_She shook her head, giggling under her breath. _

"No, it's not that. I guess I just have other things on my mind – like you and Tyler," she revealed.

_Elena smiled appreciatively. _

"Well aside from the tug of war between Stefan and Damon, and a dose of reality here and there, I'm fine, Caroline," she assured her.

_She nodded at Elena and headed for her bedroom. _

"What's up with Tyler? Is he okay?" Elena asked concerned.

"Oh he's fine. I was just referring to his near death experience," she lied.

_Elena set her things down on her bed, while she rummaged through her closet for the semi-formal dress she purchased yesterday during some much needed retail therapy. _

"I couldn't imagine," Elena empathized. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the bloodline thing. If Klaus is dead, then Tyler should technically be dead too..." she thought aloud.

_She tensed as she uncovered her dress. It would only be a matter of time before Elena or another one of her friends considered the possibility that Klaus wasn't actually dead. _

"Like the dress?" she interrupted Elena's train of thought, displaying the dress against her housecoat. "It's nothing special. Since the nominees are supposed to be the focus tonight, Mrs. Lockwood told me to keep it subtle," she added.

_Elena's expression quickly changed from one of intrigue to delight. _

"It's beautiful, Caroline," she acknowledged. "Conservative and sophisticated," she said.

_It was not something she would have picked out for herself, but the saleswoman insisted she try it on. It was a bare-shoulder pale pink dress with thick black lace overlay that rose just below her collarbone and fell to the middle of her thigh. _

"I'm sure Tyler will love you in it," Elena remarked, wiggling her eyebrows.

_She blushed and shook her head at Elena's comment_

"What?" Elena asked innocently. "He won't be able to keep his hands off you," she joked playfully.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"I thought you said the dress was conservative?" she asked. "Now it has the opposite effect?" she snorted as she led Elena into her bathroom so they could do their hair and makeup.

_As she pulled out all of the necessary supplies, she scrambled to change the subject back to Elena. _

"Speaking of not being able to keep hands off...how has that part of your transition been?" she asked.

_Elena looked at her confused as she plugged in the flat iron. _

"Your hormones?" she clarified.

_Elena gave a nod of understanding as her face reddened. She obviously had something to feel guilty about. _

"Honestly, they've been driving me crazy," Elena admitted. "It doesn't help that Stefan and Damon are constantly following me around," she complained.

_Elena fell silent for a few moments as she ran a few strands of her hair in between the flat iron before breaking into a smirk. _

"What?" she asked curiously as she sorted through her makeup.

"Vampire sex is incredible," Elena admitted guiltily.

_She laughed at her friend's admission. _

"With Stefan right?" she confirmed, not entirely keen about the idea of Elena with Damon.

_Elena nodded. _

"Yes of course. Although I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about Damon too," Elena confessed.

_She glared at Elena. _

_It wasn't exactly a surprise to her that Elena still had Damon on her mind, but her interest in him was not something she easily understood. _

"What? I can't help it," Elena said defensively. "No matter how hard I try, I just can't stop thinking about him sometimes. I know he's caused a lot of trouble, but there's just something about him..." she admitted.

_As Elena described her feelings for Damon, she couldn't help but become lost in her own thoughts; Elena's feelings becoming a narration for her own feelings for Klaus. She understood now. _

_If it was so easy for Elena to tell her about Damon without fear of being judged, why couldn't she tell her best friend about Klaus?_

_With the pressure on from Matt, and Klaus about to be put back into his own body, she knew she would have to sooner or later, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. _

_She didn't want to stress Elena out or make her upset when she was at such a fragile time in her life. More than that, she didn't want to risk losing her friendship. _

"So do you think it will be weird tonight now that the entire Council knows who you are?" Elena asked.

_She stopped applying her makeup to consider Elena's question before shrugging. _

"I'm sure Tyler and I will get a few awkward stares, but they agreed to accept us in exchange for Klaus's body," she reasoned.

_Elena nodded. _

"I just curious to know why Alaric never told the Council about Damon and Stefan," Elena wondered.

"Well I assume he wanted power over Tyler's mom and my mom since they were sort of the de-facto leaders of the Council. He probably said nothing about Damon and Stefan because he needed you protected while he went after Klaus and the other originals," she suggested.

"Makes sense," Elena agreed. "Elijah came to see me," she revealed.

_She stopped mid-eye with the eyeliner as Elena spoke his name. _

"Oh..." she pried, urging Elena to continue.

"He apologized," Elena said simply. "He told me he had no part in what Rebekah did and he told me how awful he felt. He said he would help me with my transition if I needed it," she explained.

_Her body relaxed and she continued with her makeup, hoping that was all Elijah said to Elena. _

"Do you believe him?" she asked Elena.

_Elena smiled softly and nodded as she finished with the flat iron. _

"Elijah was willing to make a deal with us in the first place. Once Rebekah was with Damon, he could have come after me then to kill me if he wanted to. Elijah is a man of his word; I trust him surprisingly," Elena revealed.

_She agreed with Elena. Elijah was trustworthy; he was a man of his word. She wondered if Klaus could be too; that is if he had any words to give to her. _

"I believe him," she told Elena. "Rebekah so much as admitted to me at the Grill that Elijah wanted to leave town after Klaus died to outrun Alaric," she explained.

"Stefan said that Rebekah told him something similar," Elena corroborated. "It's not like Elijah to do something like that. Rebekah on the other hand is impulsive and selfish...a lot like Klaus," Elena chided. "I can't believe she entered the Miss Mystic pageant. I hope she's not an official nominee," she complained.

_She was lost in her thoughts, no longer paying attention to Elena, with Elena's mention of Klaus. Sure, he was impulsive and selfish at times, but he could be more than that, she thought. _

"Klaus did save me..." she blurted out absentmindedly in his defence.

"Yeah after he compelled Tyler to bite you," Elena reminded her.

"He could have let me die," she defended him.

_Elena glared at her through the mirror. _

"He let you live so he could manipulate you," Elena corrected.

"He would have achieved more by letting me die," she reasoned.

_Elena looked at her in disbelief. _

"Are you actually defending Klaus right now?" Elena asked.

_She shook her head quickly, scolding herself for even saying something to begin with. It was a slippery slope she was now on; one that would be difficult to get off with Elena without confessing everything. _

"No...I just...despite everything he did, I guess I feel sort of guilty that he's dead. Kind of like how you felt when you lied to Elijah about Esther's plan," Caroline reminded her.

_These seemed to calm Elena's disgruntled expression. _

"I see what you're saying, but there's a huge difference between Elijah and Klaus. Elijah's actions are motivated by a code of honour, Klaus's are motivated by pure self-interest," Elena explained.

_She didn't buy Elena's reasoning but she wasn't about to disagree at this point. She needed to change the topic. _

"I called Elijah," she revealed to Elena, hoping the confession would serve as a distraction as opposed to a very obvious clue.

"You what?" Elena asked.

"The day Klaus was desiccated I called him. That's how he knew and why he showed up at your house looking to make a deal," she admitted.

_Elena looked both surprised and confused. She wasn't sure how Elena would respond. _

"Why would you do that?" Elena questioned.

_She closed the compact of violet hued eye-shadows and eyed Elena as calmly as she could. _

_The idea of complete confession was tempting, but she held back. _

"I was trying to be proactive. If Klaus's siblings found out we buried his body at the bottom of the ocean they would have retaliated against us. You said that yourself," she told her.

_Elena looked through her makeup bag while she considered Caroline's words. _

"I'm surprised you did something like that Caroline. You barely know Elijah. It could have backfired on you," Elena said.

"Well it didn't...er it wouldn't have had Alaric not messed it up," she claimed. "You said Elijah is a man of his word. I knew he made deals with you in the past. I believed he would this time too," she reasoned. "I did it to protect you," she added as she decorated her eyelashes with black mascara.

_Elena smiled sweetly at her. _

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Elena wondered.

"I didn't tell you then because I thought you might be mad. And after everything that happened to you and Tyler, it slipped my mind until now," she explained.

_Elena nodded. _

"I'm not mad. It's nice to know that I have so many people looking out for me," Elena assured her.

_Of course, she would be mad if she knew your true motivations her conscience whispered to her. _

_Maybe telling Elena now was as good a time as any. If she didn't do it now, she would have to once Klaus was back inside his own body. _

_What would she say to Elena? Where would she even start? _

_She hesitated though when she thought about Klaus's words. He didn't want anyone to know he was in Tyler's body until he had his body back. She didn't want to compromise that. She believed she could trust Elena, but when it came to Klaus she wasn't sure. She could tell Elena of her feelings for Klaus, but what would be the point of only giving her a half truth at this point? She decided to wait until after tonight; until she could give Elena the whole truth. _

_Smiling back at Elena she handed her the same eye-shadow compact she had just used. _

"Use this one," she told Elena.

"Thanks," Elena grinned.

_She started onto her hair, deciding a side curled ponytail would be best. After plugging in the curling iron to heat up, she leaned against the sink as she watched Elena apply her makeup. _

"So how is Matt holding up?" she asked Elena curiously.

_Matt had not spoken to her since the night of the accident; since he found out everything she had been hiding. He had left Elena's the other day before she had even arrived. She assumed it was done on purpose. She wasn't going to a force a situation between them. She knew he probably wouldn't give her the time of day until she told everyone else. Regardless, she was worried about him. _

_Elena huffed and shrugged. _

"He's trying to act strong for me, but I know everything is getting to him," Elena told her. "He feels so guilty for what happened to me. I've tried to tell him anything I can think of to make him feel better, but I know it's not working," she admitted.

_She frowned as she started to curl a strand of her hair. Her betrayal had likely not made things any better for him she supposed. _

"He's been through a lot this past year," Elena observed. "Has he talked to you?" she asked her.

_She shook her head. _

"We haven't really talked since I brought him home from the hospital that night," she revealed.

_Elena nodded as if her admission had confirmed her suspicions. Matt had a lot of other reasons to avoid her though that Elena was unaware of. _

"Maybe he just needs some time?" she proposed to Elena.

"Maybe," Elena answered.

_That was the end of any serious discussion between them. She considered bringing up Elena's transition into vampirism but she got the distinct impression that Elena preferred not to talk about it. It seemed as though her goal was to feel as normal as possible tonight. Thankfully Elena avoided any further serious conversation on her part as well. _

_She finished her hair, wrapping a strand of hair around the hair tie to conceal it, and pinning back some of her hair with two matching stone-encrusted hairpins. _

_Elena finished with her makeup and they both left for her bedroom to change into their dresses. Elena's was simpler than hers as a guest; a black spaghetti strap thigh-length dress. Its main feature was the corseted back, which she helped Elena tie. _

_As she tied the loose strands into a bow, the doorbell rang. _

"Matt and Tyler must be here. You get into your dress. I'll go answer the door," Elena offered.

_She nodded as Elena slipped through her bedroom door, closing it slightly as she passed through. _

_Slipping into her dress she listened to the muffled voices out in the hallway. She could hear both Matt and Tyler and then the door to her room creak open. _

"Elena you're gonna have to do my zipper up," she announced, her back turned to the door as she fixed the clear tear-drop earrings to her ears and clasped _his_ bracelet to her wrist.

_Tyler cleared his throat as he entered, and as she glanced at him through the mirror, she had to keep reminding herself that it was actually Klaus. _

_It was almost strange to see him and there was this thick tension in the air. It obviously had something to do with their conversation from the other night. They hadn't really spoken much since then. Their awkward discussion didn't help, but it had more to do with the fact that he was in Tyler's body. It was too weird for her, she had explained to him. _

"Hi," she breathed, taking in the way he was taking her in.

_Tyler never looked at her the way that he did; that alone could give Klaus away. _

_Her face went hot and she laughed to herself as she looked away. _

"Hey," he said.

_She mused at his attempt at casual language. _

"You look..."

- "Old?" she joked. "Mrs. Lockwood told me simple and modest," she added.

_He smirked. _

"I was going for refined," he finished as he nearly snuck up behind her. "Elegant, perhaps," he suggested.

_It was Tyler's voice complimenting her with all the thoughtful and pleasant adjectives, but she knew if she closed her eyes and concentrated she would hear Klaus's voice and feel him behind her instead. _

_Goosebumps rose on her skin at the thought. She missed him; she wanted him back. _

"You look good too," she complimented, even though she would have preferred the sight of Klaus himself instead of Tyler.

_He was wearing a simple white button up shirt and black dress pants. _

"That wretched woman picked it out for me, after she forced me to go shopping with her," he scowled.

"Tyler's mom?" she snorted. "You went shopping with her?" she asked surprised.

_He nodded. _

"If I have to spend one more day with that incessant woman, I cannot be held responsible for my actions," he muttered.

_She giggled at his comments, knowing all too well how overbearing Tyler's mother could be with Tyler. The thought of Klaus having to withstand it for a day amused her. _

_She tensed when his hand rested on her hip. _

_It was Tyler's hand so her first thought was to stop him; but it was really Klaus so she hesitated; she missed the feel of Klaus's hands on her. _

_She went to protest, but his other hand latched onto the zipper at the small of her back and zipped up the dress slowly. _

"You know it's almost sinful having to do this dress up," he sighed, as he reached the top of the dress below her neck.

_Her body literally shook with his seductive words. _

"Well if everything goes according to plan, perhaps you can remove it tonight?" she said suggestively, scolding herself immediately following for even saying such a thing.

_She was supposed to be angry with him; annoyed; frustrated with his inability to make some sort of verbal commitment to her, and yet here she was playing into his game tit for tat. _

_His eyes were sparkling like a child's on Christmas morning and a smug grin rested upon his lips. _

"If you insist, love," he replied.

_Suddenly, Elena barged through the door, only hesitating once she was in the room and realized how close the two of them were. _

_They turned to Elena and distanced themselves immediately as if caught in the act of something inappropriate – in a way they had been. _

_Elena's face went red and she laughed embarrassingly. _

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," she chuckled as she regained her composure. "We should leave soon," she announced before scurrying out of the bedroom.

_Both she and Klaus looked at each other and he shook his head in amused disapproval. _

"She obviously hasn't learned to use her keen sense of hearing yet," he observed. "I suppose that's good thing."

_She nodded in agreement; realizing stupidly that she had forgotten Elena now possessed abilities like sensitive hearing. _

_He traced his finger over the bracelet on her wrist. _

"When will I ever get to have you all to myself?" he asked rhetorically.

_As much as she found his desire for her flattering, there was a part of her fuming at him on the inside. She felt like replying 'when you tell me that you want me; when I get the same in return; when I know that you can love me.' How could he act like nothing was bothering her?_

_But she remained silent. Now wasn't the time to begin a confrontation. _

_Before she could hide her hesitation, he shot her a look that told her he saw it. _

"Help me?" she said quickly as she picked up her black silk heels off of the floor.

_To her luck, he nodded somewhat bewilderedly, but successfully distracted. _

_She rested her hand on his – Tyler's – shoulder to hold her balance while she slipped on her shoes. _

"So you remember the plan for tonight, correct?" he asked as she stepped back onto both of her feet.

_She jeered. _

"It's pretty simple for me. I just have to be Miss Mystic for the night and not be concerned when I notice you and Bonnie are missing," she replied.

_He smiled, satisfied with her reply. _

_She looked at him anxiously, frightened by the possibility that the plan could be sabotaged like the last plan. _

_He could sense her trepidation. _

_Taking her hands in his, he kissed them lightly. _

"When I kiss you again, I'll be back in my body," he reassured her. "Meet me at my place later this evening when everything is done?" he half asked, half commanded, appearing almost as nervous as her as he anticipated her answer.

_She vacillated over her options, knowing all along that she would acquiesce. The night would end with a confrontation of anger or a confrontation of passion; maybe both. It would be inevitable; she could not stay away from him. _

_She nodded in agreement. _

"After I talk to Tyler," she said.

_He looked surprised and curious. _

"I'm going to tell him about everything; about us," she decided, almost inclined to ask Klaus if there was an 'us' she could tell Tyler about.

"Really..." he replied.

_It was hard to read his reaction, but he seemed pleased and reluctant all at once. _

"I'm done fooling myself; life is too short," she said sternly, meaning every word even if as a vampire she technically had eternity.

_He smirked. _

"Looks like someone is finally heeding my advice," he observed.

_She glared at him. _

"Maybe it's time you started to as well," she quipped, effectively ending their conversation.

* * *

**A/N: So did I get the rules about the vampire invitation thing right? It was my understanding that the human owner of a home has to invite a vampire to enter, hence why Caroline's mom was there to invite Elena inside. **

**Also, in my story, if you haven't already assumed or picked it up, Alaric only ever told the Council about Caroline, Tyler, and the Originals being vampires for the reasons stated above.**

**I know many of you were concerned about Caroline and Matt resolving their issues or at least confronting each other again since I kind of left them hanging. I realize that needs to be addressed. Please know that happens to an extent in the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I love all the enthusiasm I've been getting from the reviews lately. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and review. You're fantastic!**

**This is probably a much anticipated chapter, so I hope I haven't let you down. I've been working like mad the past couple of days to get it out. I'm not sure I'm 100% satisfied with it, but I think it's time for me to move on. With that said, please skip over any spelling or grammatical issues.**

**Please enjoy and I strongly encourage you to leave me your thoughts! :)**

* * *

_The drive to the Founder's Hall had been an awkward one. Matt had barely said two words to her, but had kept exchanging knowing glances between her and Tyler. Tyler was obviously not himself. Klaus was caught off guard by her last words to him. Elena was trying to act as normal as she possibly could. Needless to say she was eager to get out of that car even despite the beginnings of rain outside. _

_Ever the gentleman, Tyler – or Klaus – lent her his jacket to cover her head. The thought of bringing an umbrella had never crossed her mind as they all left her house. Elena, however, had planned ahead and was shielding both her and Matt under a large white umbrella. _

_By the time they stepped inside, Tyler – Klaus – was soaked and so was his jacket. _

_Mrs. Lockwood was in the foyer of the Founder's Hall pleasantly greeting all the attendees with a glass of champagne in her hand. When she spotted the two of them, her eyes dug into Tyler – or Klaus. She was obviously displeased with the disregard he had given to the outfit she had purchased for him. She flagged him down, signalling for him to come over. _

_He gave her a slight eye roll before leaving her, Elena, and Matt. _

_As she took in the sight of the decorated Founder's Hall, she straightened out her Miss Mystic sash. The mansion was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers, linens, and candles, while soft music could be heard in the background. Surprisingly this was one of the simpler events in Mystic Falls. It was a dinner for all of the nominated Miss Mystic hopefuls and the town's benefactors. The dinner would be held and the top five Miss Mystic nominees announced. An auction would follow to raise money for the event, as well as all other Founder's activities. It was basically a night of building egos and tearing some down; an excuse for the girls to flaunt their social status and an excuse for the town's benefactors to flaunt their money. She had been so obsessed with winning the competition last year that she hadn't stopped to consider how futile it really was. Of course, nothing like that would come up in her motivational speech tonight, but that's how she felt now as she looked around at all the guests who were all staring back at her. _

"Bonnie's here, she just texted me," Elena announced. "She doesn't have an umbrella and since I'm the only person who brought one, I'll go meet her," she said.

"Are you sure? I can go," Matt offered, clearly as an attempt not to be left alone with her.

_Elena protested. _

"I'll be right back," she assured the two of them before slipping through the people back to the front entrance.

_She looked around aimlessly beside Matt searching for something to say to him. _

"Have you told him yet?" Matt asked bluntly, his focus pointed directly towards "Tyler" and his mom.

"No," she answered.

_She could see Matt shoot her a look of disapproval from the corner of her eye._

"Not for the reasons you think," she said finally.

_He looked at her curiously. _

"I'm going to tell him later tonight. You can hold me to that," she added, hoping this would be enough for Matt.

_He seemed to accept her plan. He even seemed a little surprised that she would finally be coming clean. _

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?" he asked confused.

_She shrugged. _

"You didn't have to keep my secrets. I appreciate you letting me be honest on my own time," she explained.

_He nodded. _

_She was about to ask him how he was doing, but Elena rejoined them with Bonnie. _

"Hey Caroline," Bonnie greeted her.

"Hey!" she replied, practicing her fake enthusiasm as she brought her friend into a hug.

_She noticed a very bored-looking "Tyler" was still occupied by his mother and an older gentleman as she looked over Bonnie's shoulder. _

"So I think Matt and I are going to find our table. Meet us when you're ready Bonnie," Elena cut in.

_Both she and Bonnie nodded. _

"Good luck Caroline," Elena told her as Matt led her in the direction of the large dining room.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" Bonnie asked her as they combed over the refreshments table.

_She tensed. Was she referring to the spell or to both the spell and her relationship with Klaus? What did she know? _

"I trust you," she said simply, hoping that would satisfy Bonnie.

_Bonnie looked at her confused. _

"Trust me with what?" Bonnie asked.

"The spell," she said under her breath.

_Bonnie's eyes widened. _

"He told you?" she asked angrily as she glared at her suspiciously.

_She nodded. _

"Yes, Klaus, told me. He really didn't have a choice after I tried to make a move on him thinking he was Tyler," she confessed. "Thanks for the heads up Bonnie," she said in a light-hearted way to convey that she wasn't _that_ upset about the situation.

_Bonnie dropped her head guiltily. _

"I'm sorry, but we decided it was best if no one else knew until he was put back in his body. I didn't expect he would be in Tyler's body this long," Bonnie admitted.

"He told me that too," she replied. "Do you think you'll be able to pull this spell off?" she asked.

"I'll have to tap into dark magic again, but it's pretty straight forward," Bonnie explained.

"I suppose the hard part is getting the body without being found out," she concluded, fishing for any details of Klaus and Bonnie's plan.

_Bonnie nodded. _

"Klaus and I will figure it out," Bonnie told her. "So you're not mad at me for what I did?" Bonnie asked.

_She shook her head. _

"If you didn't do what you did, Tyler would be dead right now," she reasoned.

_Klaus would be dead. _

_She wanted to tell Bonnie the truth about her feelings, but she wanted to tell Tyler first. Bonnie would discover her true feelings soon. _

"But Klaus is still alive because of what I did," Bonnie reminded her.

_She shrugged, hoping her fake indifference towards Klaus was convincing. _

"It's worth it Bonnie," she told her. "It's worth it if it means that all of the vampires closest to you are safe...and if I have Tyler back," she argued.

"Ahem," a throat cleared from behind them.

_They turned around to see Tyler – Klaus – there staring at the both of them. _

_Judging by the sour look on his face, she knew that he had been standing there longer than she had hoped. _

"I thought you were done fooling yourself?" he asked her nonchalantly with an arched eyebrow.

_Bonnie looked at both of them quizzically. _

"What's he talking about Caroline?" Bonnie asked her.

_Her vision blurred as her nerves were on the verge of exploding. _

"Nothing of your concern," Klaus interjected. "Come witch, let's go find my body so Caroline can have her precious Tyler back," he said snidely, his eyes piercing hers.

_Bonnie's look of confusion remained, but she didn't protest when Klaus took her quickly, but discreetly, by the arm. _

_She swiftly took one of the wine glasses off of a passing tray, downing the contents behind an artificial plant so no one would notice. _

_Her fingernails dug hard into the palms of her hands from pure irritation. _

_How could he almost give her away like that, leaving her completely bewildered and unprepared? How could he be so immature? She was certain she had made her feelings for him clear. He should have known what she said to Bonnie was simply a front. _

_She sneered as she let her annoyance ruminate within her. _

"Caroline, there you are. Mrs. Lockwood is looking for you," Elena said from behind her, provoking her to jump.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Elena laughed as she turned around.

_Elena's face fell as she noticed her look of displeasure. _

"Caroline, what's wrong?" Elena wondered.

_She shrugged. _

"Nerves, I suppose," she admitted with a light laugh.

"Nerves? You have nothing to be nervous about," Elijah chimed as he approached the both of them with Rebekah on his arm.

_She noticed Elena go frigid immediately. _

"Hi," she and Elena said in unison to Elijah while both of them stared daggers at Rebekah.

"You two look delightful this evening," he complimented.

_Both she and Elena chuckled embarrassingly as Elijah studied them closely with his eyes. _

"Thank you," they replied, again in unison.

"I'm gonna go find Bonnie and Tyler," Elena said self-consciously as she shirked away from Elijah and Rebekah, clearly uncomfortable being around her.

_As Elena left, Rebekah scoffed. _

"What's her problem? She's acting like somebody killed her," Rebekah smirked.

_Before she could respond with a few choice words, Elijah griped his hand around Rebekah's arm. _

"This is not the time or place, Rebekah," he hissed.

_Rebekah rolled her eyes at Elijah as she pulled her arm from his hold, storming off without another word. _

_Elijah smiled faintly at her. _

"My apologies, Caroline," he said sweetly. "So given that Tyler is here with you, I am going to go out on a limb and assume you haven't told him about my brother yet," he inquired quietly.

_She shook her head. _

"Tonight after this is over," she told him.

_She had told him the night of the nomination party that she would tell Tyler of her relationship with Klaus prior to his death__.__ Elijah still didn't know Klaus was alive. She didn't like lying to him but she was doing it to protect his brother. Surely he would respect that once Klaus's survival was out in the open. In a way she wasn't really lying to Elijah, she would be telling Tyler tonight about Klaus; she was just omitting the context and the circumstances. _

_Elijah nodded. _

"You're doing the right thing," he encouraged her.

"Thanks," she replied. "I should go find Mrs. Lockwood," she said.

"Good luck tonight," he offered, obviously referring both to the Miss Mystic event and Tyler.

_She smiled at him appreciatively before leaving to search for Tyler's mom. _

_The dinner started without any sign of Tyler – Klaus. His seat remained empty throughout the entire meal. His absence had not only been noticed by her. Tyler's mother was also curious to know his whereabouts. She scowled to herself. His absence at dinner was so obvious; he should have joined her for dinner before storming off to get his body back. His lack of presence at the table was causing a scene – something he assured her would not happen tonight. More than annoyed, she was worried. What if the wrong person's red flags were raised and he and Bonnie were discovered? _

_There were several of those wrong people seated at her table. As Miss Mystic Falls she had the unfortunate pleasure of being seated at the table nearest the makeshift stage with Mrs. Lockwood, an absent Tyler – Klaus, and several prominent members of the town and Council members. While Matt and Elena seemed to be enjoying themselves at a guest table with several other high school classmates, she had to pretend to be entertained by the mindless chatter of egotistical adults who hated her. _

_As she picked at her food, she could feel their eyes boring down on her in severe judgement. Their whispers about her were deafening and she struggled not to listen in as they wondered if she could eat human food and where she got her blood. They all knew what she was thanks to Alaric. They were only tolerating her now because they believed they had her loyalty; that she had helped slay the strongest vampire turned hybrid in the world to protect the town she called home. If they knew otherwise, they would kill her, which is why she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles as she waited for any sign that the spell had been completed. She was in the centre of the lion's den; if there was a hitch in Klaus and Bonnie's plan, she would be toast. _

_As dinner came to a close, the rain could be heard hitting the roof and distant growls of thunder were sounding off in the distance. The small band in the corner tried to sustain a peaceful ambience, but the weather was too metaphorical for her to ignore. _

_If all that wasn't enough, she had been informed by Mrs. Lockwood that she had been entered into the auction to be held after speeches and nominations as a prize to be won. Okay, so she was being a little over-dramatic; the bidder would only receive a dance with her at upcoming Miss Mystic Pageant. Still, she didn't take kindly to her body being volunteered to be won by someone who was more than likely to be an old balding middle-aged man who wanted to brag and who obviously had some perverse fantasy about younger women. Worse, she might not be bid on at all. That was the price she paid for not bringing something in advance to be auctioned off. If anyone should have understood, it was Mrs. Lockwood, who had known how preoccupied she had been. Her resistance was met by a comment from Mrs. Lockwood that she would keep Tyler's jealous tendencies in check at the pageant. That was not reassuring at all. _

_She had tried to keep her glances out to the main hall as discreet as possible, but her worry grew as time ticked by. _

_At one point during a speech by a member of the Council and the Miss Mystic Pageant Committee – the speech before her own – Mrs. Lockwood had decided to go searching for Tyler. Thinking on her toes, she devised some bullshit story about her and Tyler getting into a fight in order to explain his absence. Thankfully, his mother backed down and she could breathe again – at least until her speech. _

_The speech itself didn't really faze her aside from the rattles of thunder that interrupted her occasionally. She knew all the right things to say. It was basically a regurgitation of the words she spilled for the hopeful nominees the other night at the Grill. She talked about growing up in Mystic Falls, she talked about its traditions, she talked about the significance of the Miss Mystic Pageant in the past, present, and future, she discussed what it took to be Miss Mystic, and finally she talked about what the pageant meant to her. The speech took her mind off of what was likely going on in some other part of the building with Klaus and Bonnie. Everyone gave her a round of applause – even Rebekah who was watching her enviously, eyeing her Miss Mystic sash with lust. _

_Following her speech was Mrs. Lockwood's speech. She tuned most of it out in favour of checking her cell phone under the table for text messages. All of the messages were from Elena wondering where Bonnie and Tyler were, to which she replied her uncertainty. She knew there was the possibility that Elena or Matt would go looking for Tyler and Bonnie, but there was nothing she could do to stop them from across the room. She was hoping the impending final nominee announcement and auction would keep them seated. If that didn't work then she could only pray the spell was almost complete. When she wasn't texting, she was glancing at Matt and Elena's table for Bonnie's return. _

_She did, however, listen to Mrs. Lockwood's speech just in time for Rebekah's name to be announced as one of the final five in the running for the title of Miss Mystic Falls. She groaned under her breath and made eye contact with Elena who shared her displeased expression. _

_Rebekah and four other girls joined Mrs. Lockwood on stage to present themselves to the rest of the Miss Mystic Pageant Committee who would ultimately be deciding their fate from this point forward. _

_As much as it pained her to say it, Rebekah did look good tonight in a Barbie pink strapless dress. She herself had been eyeing that very dress at the boutique downtown the other day when she was shopping for her own dress. She would never tell Rebekah that. She could only wonder what Rebekah's reaction would be later tonight when she discovered that her brother was still alive. _

_The crowd of guests stood and erupted into applause as louder thunder erupted outside and the lights flickered abruptly. Chills ran down her skin as she shook. Could that be the result of Bonnie's work? Perhaps the witches on the other side were upset with her? She searched around the room, but there was still no sign of Bonnie. She huffed in frustration and fell back down in her chair. _

_Soon after the nominees were announced the scene was set for the auction. Despite the small size of the town, there were many items to be bid on, ranging from small frivolous items to more expensive ones. There were several old pieces of art. The town's travel agency had supplied two plane tickets to Europe. There was also jewellery to be won and electronic items among the selection. She wouldn't bid on anything, mainly because she could not afford it. She would wait until she was called as a prize, and then she'd stand up from the table like Mrs. Lockwood instructed her to do. Her number was not that far off so she wouldn't have to wait long. If Bonnie had not returned by the time she was bid on, she had decided she would leave then to investigate what was going on. The suspense of waiting was killing her. The weather outside wasn't helping either. _

_When her number and name were called she stood reluctantly from her seat as Mrs. Lockwood eyed her happily – as if she was her own daughter. She and Mrs. Lockwood had been on uneasy terms since she started dating her son, and now, just as his mother was beginning to accept her, she would ruin it by breaking her son's heart. _

_The auctioneer specified the nature of the prize before he opened bidding – in case anyone got the wrong idea. It was a single dance at the pageant for a good cause; nothing more. She supposed she could handle a dance with a stranger for charitable purposes. _

_She stood there anxiously, biting her lip while trying to muster a smile as the bidding opened. It opened at a modest twenty dollars before a few men she had never seen in her life upped it to fifty. _

_She laughed when Elena bid a hundred – thankful for her attempt to save her from embarrassment. An older man who worked with her mother bid one-hundred and fifty before Elena upped it to two hundred before mouthing apologetically that two hundred was all she had. She actually hoped someone else would bid. She'd feel too guilty knowing that Elena had paid the charity two hundred dollars for her in lieu of her indiscretions with Klaus that she was sure to find out before the actual pageant in a few months time. _

_Sweat was building on her forehead as the bidding and the storm outside dragged on. This could not be over soon enough. She needed to know what was going on; what was taking them so long. _

_There was another burst of thunder before one of the Council members who had been staring her down all night from across the table bid five hundred. She gave an uneasy glance in his direction while he smiled cockily back at her. She was startled by Elijah's voice who called out one thousand. Rebekah glared angrily at her brother in response. _

_She gave him an appreciative smile__._

_It was then that she noticed three figures at the back of the dining hall staring on with the rest of the crowd. Everyone had been so preoccupied by the bidding they hadn't noticed the new guests. Despite the lighting shining down at her, she could clearly see Bonnie standing with both Klaus and Tyler. _

_Her breathing hitched with relief, elation, and worry. He had promised her no scenes. Why the hell was he standing out in the open for everyone to see!? _

_She chewed harder on her lip as bidding continued, following Tyler with her eyes as he followed Bonnie over to Matt and Elena's table. _

_Both the intimidating man and Elijah bid once more, effectively bringing up the bid to fifteen hundred. Neither had noticed Klaus leaning casually against the arched entranceway. He was staring directly at her but she ignored his gaze – her constant stare would give him away. _

_Why was he doing this? Why was he being so stupid? She just wanted this auction to be over so she could give him a piece of her mind. Did he not realize how dangerous this place was? If someone recognized him everything would be over for all of them. _

_Tyler's voice echoed across the room calling out a bid of twenty-five hundred. Her eyes widened and she shifted on her feet uncomfortably. Tyler's mom seemed annoyed by his generous bid, but was clapping and smiling at her son nonetheless. _

"Fifty-thousand," _**his**_ deep accented voice rumbled as lightning flashed, thunder boomed and the electricity went out.

_She gasped at the bid, but more at his audacity and the perfect coincidental power-failure that had probably saved their lives. _

_The power was out before the auctioneer could place the source of the bid, and at that point it was no use since everyone's initial reaction was panic. _

_Klaus was also out; she saw him dart to one of the exits under the dim hall emergency lighting. _

_With the absence of electricity effectively putting the auction on hold, she used it to her advantage to slip through the crowd of people, exchanging knowing glances with Elijah as she did so. _

_She used the dim light offered by the candle-lit centre pieces as her guide through unfamiliar and darkened faces. There was no sign of Matt, Elena, Bonnie, or Tyler, and she was grateful for that. The last thing she needed was to be stopped by them right now. _

_A few people had now spilled out into the foyer, but they were all too preoccupied by the power-outage to notice her walk past towards the same exit as Klaus. _

_Once she was out of sight she used her vampire speed to propel herself outside to catch up to him. _

_Luckily the rain had died down when she made her way to one of the secluded back garden patios._

_She could sense that he was here. _

_The now distant and faint lightning illuminated his figure. He was standing against the stone railing that overlooked more gardens with his back towards her. _

_He had obviously wanted her to find him. He could have been long gone from here by now if he wanted to. _

_Bonnie must have brought him body a change of clothes, she thought as she noted the grey pants black button up shirt he was wearing. _

_He was back..._

_That realization only sustained the euphoria she felt for so long._

Another sharp groan of thunder reminded her of his most recent beyond irresponsible actions.

_She gritted her teeth and exhaled sharply as she pushed herself down the stone steps and charged towards him; her heels tapping angrily against the wet walk-way with every step she took. _

_He had to know she was there, but he remained still. _

_She was met with little resistance when she grabbed the damp material of his shirt and tugged him around to face her. _

"What the hell were you thinking?! You agreed; no scenes!" she scolded. "Do you know how stupid that was? The whole damn Council was in there; had it not been for that coincidental power outage everyone would have known it was you!" she hissed nearly breaking holes into the fabric of his shirt as her fingers dug into it for dear life.

_She was looking at him with utter consternation and fear, waiting impatiently for him to respond. _

"Why would you do something like that? Even standing out here is dangerous!" she chided as she shook him. "You just got your body back and now you want to go around playing hide and seek with the Council?" she gasped. "What the hell was that?" she demanded on the verge of tears.

_His eyes turned dark as he glowered at her. She shook as the ground shook from the thunder. _

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me what the hell your little conversation with Bonnie was about hmm? I thought we weren't fooling ourselves anymore?" he retorted.

_She scoffed with a complete frown. _

_Shaking her head, she laughed to herself as she pushed herself away from him. _

"So that's what your stunt in there was about? You were mad so you thought you'd do something reckless?" she mocked. "Was that supposed to be some sort of revenge? Get me back by getting yourself killed? Or getting me killed!?" she exclaimed. "How could you even risk doing something like that to me again?" she cried. "You should trust me enough by now to know that what I said to Bonnie meant nothing," she explained.

_Throwing her head back, she stared up at the cloudy night sky. She slowed her breathing and exhaled. _

_She wiped a few rain drops off her forehead and shrugged as she looked back down at him. _

_He went to speak, but she interrupted him. _

- "I just wanted to tell Tyler before everyone else," she reasoned. "I mean, were you not even listening in Tyler's body when I so much as told 'him' that I love you!?" she wondered expectantly.

_He looked like he was at a complete loss of words; utterly taken aback by her outpouring._

"What will it take for you to believe me!?" she implored throwing her hands down against her sides. "I love you," she cried.

_His eyes avoided her stare. He wanted to speak; his mouth opened and a few cracks of his voice sounded as he searched for what to say in return. _

"Caroline..." he whispered.

_Releasing a breath as if he had been holding it in for hours, he sped towards her. Clutching her face in his hands, he kissed her deeply and urgently. _

_She hesitated at first by trying to pull away, but she couldn't. She didn't want to. Her lips pressed harder against his as if they were magnetized. She had longed to feel his soft lips against hers again. _

_Rain was hitting her face as it began to come down harder, but she was crying tears of so many emotions that she paid it no mind. Her only focus was the way his lips moved in sync with hers and how he held her against him as though his life depended on it. _

_He released her only slightly from his grip as their kisses became more sporadic. She opened her eyes to find his still closed; his head tipped against hers. She brought her hands up to his face and traced his cheeks with her fingertips; following the path raindrops had already created. She pressed her lips slowly against his once more, savouring the sensation. _

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

_She was unable to contain a smile despite how upset she was with him. She kissed him again. _

_When she opened her eyes this time he was staring fixedly back at her. Her knees went weak. _

_That was until his eyes darted past her with a look of surprise strewn across them. _

_Her stomach instantly felt sick as she anticipated something horrible. _

_He looked back at her carefully. _

"Well it looks like you won't have to tell him now," Klaus said.

_She froze like a deer in headlights as a throat cleared behind her. _

"What the hell is this?" Tyler demanded.

_Her worst nightmare was coming true. _

_She turned around slowly, letting go of Klaus, to face Tyler guiltily. _

"Tyler..." she rasped.

_The look on Tyler's face said it all. His heart was broken. _

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

_He shook his head disappointedly. _

"I knew it..." he scolded himself.

_She winced as she tried to find the next appropriate words to say. There were no right words; only appropriate ones. _

_Before she could say anything more, to her deep dismay, Matt, Elena, and Bonnie, followed closely by Rebekah and Elijah, found their way to the back garden spot. _

_Once the rain stopped completely, it was only a matter of time before others – including Council members – would stumble upon them. _

_They all halted behind Tyler. _

_All of them aside from Bonnie were stunned to see a very much alive Klaus standing behind her. _

"Oh my god," Elena breathed.

"Brother," Elijah gasped.

"Nik," Rebekah choked out.

_Rebekah went for Klaus, but Elijah held her back with an arm across her waist as he seemed to realize what they had all interrupted. _

_The rest of them remained stationary, sensing the obvious tension they had just plowed through and the confrontational stance of her, Tyler, and Klaus; Tyler on one side, Klaus on the other, and her in the middle. _

_She looked at all their expectant faces and grew self-conscious and light-headed. If she was still human, she probably would have passed out by now. _

"Tyler can we go somewhere...and talk?" she requested meekly.

_Tyler shrugged and folded his arms. _

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it to them," he said flatly. "They deserve the truth as much as I do," he added.

"Tyler," she pleaded.

_He glared at her coldly, waiting for her to proceed. _

_She looked helplessly back at Klaus, and then to Matt, Elijah, and Rebekah, who almost appeared sympathetic. _

_Bonnie and Elena seemed completely perplexed. _

"What's Tyler talking about Caroline? What truth?" Elena asked anxiously.

_She swallowed hard and looked at Elena apologetically. _

"...the truth about Klaus and I," she exhaled.

_Both Bonnie and Elena's eyes widened. Tyler's burned with rage. _

"You and Klaus?" Bonnie pressed.

_She nodded as tears poured rapidly from her eyes. _

_Elena and Bonnie quickly understood what that meant and their expressions fell even further. _

"Tyler, I'm so sorry," she cried. "I didn't mean for it to happen..."

- "But it did," he interjected.

"It did," she acknowledged. "He was there when you were gone; when everyone else was preoccupied with Elena...after my dad died. I thought it was just a one-time mistake...but I couldn't ignore how I felt...about him," she stammered, as she tried to repeat what she had told Klaus as Tyler.

_She could see Tyler's jaw clench and his eyes narrow vindictively. _

"I-I..." she began to stutter.

"Save it. I don't want to hear anymore," Tyler growled.

_She cringed. _

"Tyler, please," she begged, as she could tell he was beginning to withdraw.

_She wasn't quite sure what she was trying to accomplish. She had hurt him and there was nothing she could do or say to take it back now. _

"Come on now Tyler, don't you want to hear the details?" Klaus badgered suggestively.

_She glared at Klaus scornfully, chastising him with her eyes for trying to aggravate Tyler. _

_His words had succeeded. _

"You son of a bitch," Tyler growled as he lunged towards Klaus at hybrid speed.

"Tyler!" she shouted, spinning around to see Tyler knock Klaus down against the ground that was teeming with rain water.

_Tyler was straddling Klaus with his claws extended against his neck ready to tear at Klaus's flesh. _

_If Klaus let him, Tyler could have Klaus's head severed from his body in seconds; permanently killing his sire. _

"Try it. I dare you," Klaus challenged him.

"Tyler stop!" she pleaded. "Klaus stop him!" she cried as she started for the both of them.

_Tyler dug his claws a little deeper into Klaus's neck, drawing blood, but before he could go any further he groaned painfully. _

"I can't," he said frustratingly before falling back off of Klaus.

_Klaus chuckled as he lifted himself up off the ground. _

_Her eyes darted between the both of them in confusion. Klaus had done nothing to stop him, what had compelled Tyler to stop?_

_Tyler himself looked stunned as he retracted his claws and eyed Klaus curiously. _

"Perhaps the sire bond is stronger than you think..." Klaus mused. "Or perhaps all your efforts went to waste when Bonnie let me possess your body," he thought aloud.

_Elena flashed a sour look in Bonnie's direction, while Tyler seethed. _

_Klaus dragged his arm against his neck, wiping away the remaining blood covering his now healed wounds. _

_He regarded her casually. _

"Well love, I suppose all the hard work is done. Now all you have to do is choose," he pointed out simply before bolting into the darkness.

_Rebekah and Elijah lingered silently for a few moments before speeding off in the direction Klaus had taken. _

_That couldn't have happened at a better time, as she noticed other guests begin to file out from the Founder's Hall onto the back terrace. _

_The rain had stopped, but she was nearly soaked from standing out in the spitting rain for so long. _

_She was now left encircled by Matt, Tyler, Bonnie, and Elena. _

"Tyler, are you okay?" she asked, knowing it was foolish of her ask as the question rolled off her tongue.

_Tyler scoffed. _

"What do you think? Klaus stole my body, he stole my girl...and after all that the sire bond won't let me touch him," he spat. "I'm fine," he remarked sarcastically.

"Tyler, I'm sorry," she apologized again, reaching out to console him.

_He backed away from her as though she had some contagious disease. _

"Don't touch me," he growled. "Leave me alone," he barked.

_She grimaced and lowered her head shamefully. _

_He paced in front of her agonizingly as if trying to find more to say, before giving up. _

"I need to get out of here," he declared forlornly.

_He headed back for the Founder's Hall and Matt followed closely behind, to her relief. Tyler would need Matt. _

_Now she was left with Elena and Bonnie. _

_Elena was shaking her head in disapproval and disbelief. _

"I can't believe this. I can't believe any of this," she said emotionally. "Klaus is alive...I died for nothing," she cried, glaring both at her and Bonnie.

"Don't say that Elena," Bonnie urged.

_Elena shrugged. _

"It's true," she retorted. "I would still be alive if Rebekah had known Klaus was still alive," Elena explained.

_Bonnie now looked just as guilty as she did. _

"If Bonnie hadn't acted fast, everyone would be dead; her mom, Stefan, Damon, Tyler, me," she argued.

"Aren't you forgetting Klaus?" Elena said scornfully. "And oh yeah, in addition to all of that, one of my best friends has been sleeping with the guy who is responsible for this whole mess; who tried to kill me, who tried to kill her, who killed Jenna," Elena listed. "So I guess that whole re-con mission you did on Klaus was just an excuse to see him? And when you called Elijah you did it to protect Klaus, not me, right?" Elena finished sarcastically.

_She shook her head. _

"Elena, I'm sorry. I was trying to protect both of you," she reasoned.

_Elena scoffed. _

_Sure, Elena had every right to be upset at her for how she treated Tyler, but she didn't understand how she could be so unforgiving when it came to Klaus. _

"I'm sorry Elena," she repeated. "I know I hurt Tyler. I made a stupid mistake. I know Klaus has hurt you, but I thought you of all people would understand..." she told her.

_Elena folded her arms and chuckled in disbelief. _

"Understand? How am I supposed to understand your apparent feelings for Klaus?" Elena questioned. "I can't even begin to understand what you see in him."

_As much as she didn't feel it was fair after all that had been revealed, Elena's remarks put her on the defensive. _

"Then tell me Elena, what do you see in Damon?" she countered.

_Elena sighed. _

"Caroline, that's different..." Elena argued.

_She arched an eyebrow at her friend. _

"Is it? Because the last time I checked Damon's killed and attempted to kill a lot of people we care about. Not to mention the fact that he manipulated me, practically raped me, and tried to kill me," she gaped.

"Caroline..." Elena interrupted.

"Damon did all those horrible things, and he did those things to me, and yet I forgave him. And sure, I may root for you and Stefan, but I try so hard to understand and not judge your feelings for Damon, for you, because I'm your friend," she pointed out.

_She could sense a look of guilt on Elena's face, but it was quickly wiped away and exchanged for her vampire features. _

"Don't ever try to compare Damon to Klaus," Elena hissed.

_Both she and Bonnie were stunned by Elena's outburst. It seemed Elena was too, as her vampire features quickly disappeared. _

"Elena," she said, trying to calm her down.

_Before she could say anything more, Elena disappeared at vampire speed through the trees. _

_She sighed disappointedly. _

_It was obvious her words about Damon had impacted Elena. However, they had the opposite effect. Instead of helping Elena to understand, they only served to alienate their friendship further. _

_She and Bonnie were now the only ones left standing. _

_Bonnie looked no more happy with her than Elena had, but she sensed Bonnie was more sympathetic. _

"I would scold you for lying to me too, but I'm no better. In a way we both betrayed people we care about for Klaus," Bonnie muttered.

"I'm sorry Bonnie," she apologized.

"The only difference is that I betrayed my friends for Klaus to save them, you betrayed your friends for Klaus, for what?" Bonnie asked.

"For love, I suppose," she whispered.

_Bonnie shrugged. _

"Well I hope it was worth it," she stated bluntly.

_She tried to speak, but no words would come out. She was tired of trying to explain herself. No explanations would appease her friends. To them, Klaus was a monster, nothing more, nothing less. It was as though they had completely forgotten about her only truly reprehensible behaviour; cheating on Tyler__,__ and instead chose to focus their contempt on her feelings for Klaus. _

_Bonnie turned and headed back for the Founder's Hall, leaving her entirely alone._

* * *

_He watched her silently and intently behind the cover of a few trees as her witch friend left her alone on the patio. _

_She was all by herself now and he had a perfect shot from where he stood. She had been a part of the original orders: kill Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood, and Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson. _

_He had followed her out to the patio discreetly, expecting her to be alone, anticipating an opportunity to shoot her. That was until she led him directly to the very much alive Klaus Mikaelson. _

_He waited for a few moments, opting to let their apparent confrontation play itself out as he loaded a few more wooden bullets into his gun. _

_Due to the distance he couldn't hear the words being exchanged, but he did see the kiss they shared. _

_He was confused at first. He had been told that Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood were romantically involved, but as Tyler interrupted the two with a disgusted look on his face, the circumstances and context of the situation quickly became apparent to him. _

_He marvelled at his own luck; rounding up three vampires in plain sight._

_It was tempting to take a shot, but he knew as soon as he took the first one, the vampires he hadn't hit would be gone before he could take another. _

_So he decided it best to wait it out__._

_Soon after Tyler's appearance, several of their human friends had arrived, followed by Rebekah and Elijah Mikaelson. _

_It frustrated him to no end to see all his targets neatly rounded up for him when there was nothing he could do. He hadn't anticipated a situation like this. _

_He had planned to take them out one by one when he had them alone, but with Klaus alive, he decided to improvise on the orders the Council had given him. _

_Klaus was now the priority and Caroline would be the bait he would use to kill him. _

_With everyone gone now except for Caroline, he checked his gun to ensure it was good to go. Putting himself into position he lifted his gun and prepared to shoot. However, when he looked through the scope on his gun she was gone._

* * *

**A/N: I've been dying for a Klaroline kiss in the rain, so I decided to give it to myself in my story. I hope you fellow Klaroline fans enjoyed. Sure it's cheesy, but cheese is good in moderation.**

**Also, I'm sure you can guess who was in the last part of the chapter. Knowing about this Connor character in the summer, I planned on working him into my fic somehow, so here he is.**

**Expect the next chapter to be from Klaus's point of view (as it stands right now) along with more Klaus and Caroline goodness. :)**

**As always, I'd love to know what you thought. Review me, please.  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I need to thank you all for your reviews and support as always. This fic would not be where it is without you!**

**My quick update might come as a surprise to you. Unfortunately it is not with the full chapter you were expecting. I felt I needed to split the chapter up between this part and the next part.**

**Nonetheless, enjoy!**

* * *

_The first thing he did upon arriving home, back in his own body, was take a shower. Hours ago his body had been rotting charred flesh, and although Bonnie had rejuvenated it, he was almost compelled to cleanse himself. _

_To be perfectly honest, he knew his brother and sister had been close behind him when he departed from the Founder's Hall. Holding himself up in the bathroom for a few minutes would allow him to avoid their interrogation; and although he had a few words for them too – mainly concerning the bargain they had made with Elena – they were not the people he wanted to confront at this moment in time. _

_There was, however, a certain someone he was anxiously expecting in a short while. She looked magnificent tonight, he thought, and he fully anticipated the moment when he would get to undress her as she alluded to earlier. She knew just how to press his buttons; she was such a tease sometimes, he mused. _

_He would not even entertain the possibility that she might not show tonight. Tyler and everyone else knew about them. She no longer had anything to hide. Things were clearly finished between her and Tyler. He could only hope that she would not let her pesky guilty conscience get the better of her. He could only hope that her friends would not push her to second guess her decisions. _

_It was the chance he took by leaving her alone with them. He would have preferred to stay and watch it all unfold, but Caroline had been right – he would never tell her that – playing hide and seek with the Council was not a wise move; he had let his impulsiveness get the better of him. If he had stayed, he risked being found alive by the Council. He and Bonnie had successfully reclaimed his body without detection, leaving the coffin behind (with another body inside to take his place) to fool them into believing he was still safely contained inside. He didn't want to ruin what they had accomplished by being discovered._

_He left too because he could tell Caroline was uncomfortable confronting Tyler and her friends with him standing there behind her. She wanted to tell Tyler on her own, and although that prospect had made him uneasy, he had relented. He relented a lot with her. _

_Although Tyler had been angry with him and Bonnie initially for the body swap – before realizing the act had saved those he cared for, including Caroline – he could tell that Tyler was decidedly angrier with him for much more than possessing his body. Tyler had never confronted him, but he could tell it had something to do with Caroline. _

_Admittedly, he revelled in the fact that Tyler had found them together at such a revealing moment. Surely, it was Caroline's worst nightmare, but to him, it was ideal. Of course, he had not planned for it to happen, but he was glad it did. There was no longer any doubt about their affair; it was there for Tyler to see. Moreover, it gave Caroline the push she needed to finally acknowledge the truth to her friends – something he was beginning to think would never happen. Truth be told, while he had been there she really didn't acknowledge much of anything aside from apologize. It offended him a little; why couldn't she tell them everything she had told him?_

_Just thinking about her words made him feel...different. He couldn't explain it. It was terrifying and comforting to him all at once. The way she had confronted him with so much concern; the way she professed her love. In all these centuries, he had never experienced that before._

_A little voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him of how silly it all was; how weak she was making him; but her voice was so much louder. When her voice was louder he wanted nothing more than to give her everything she's ever wanted. When the other voice was louder he couldn't help but question the legitimacy and intelligence of that desire. Could he even give her everything she's ever wanted? While she was more than satisfied with him physically, pleased with the gifts he had bought for her and the promise of Paris, she ultimately wanted love. How could he give her something he couldn't even bring himself to say to her? How could he give her love when he barely knew what it consisted of? Could he make himself weak for her? _

_Although he hoped when she came to him they could avoid the subject, she would want it addressed sooner or later. He knew it was what had been bugging her ever since she had confessed her feelings to him as Tyler and he had been unable to respond in kind; it was what was bothering her when he couldn't tell her in detail what would become of them once he was returned to his body; it was what was bothering her when he had completely avoided the issue before earlier this evening. _

_He would lose her if he could not love her. _

_He stepped out of the shower, drying himself off before changing into the comfort of his own clothes. He listened intently. Rebekah was in her room, and Elijah was in the kitchen pouring a glass of blood. To be honest, he was actually surprised his siblings were not in his room waiting to confront him. _

_Glancing at the clock, he noted the time that had passed since he left Caroline at the Founder's Hall. He felt anxious, but quickly disregarded it. It hadn't been that long. _

_He took the back staircase to avoid his siblings; he had another matter to attend to. Locked in a secret safe in a secret room he had built behind the walls, was the remainder of the doppelganger blood. He removed the case from the small refrigerator, bringing it to the sitting room to inspect. This would be the blood that would help ensure their protection; Caroline's protection. _

"Brother," he heard Elijah say from behind him.

"Nik...why didn't you tell us you were alive?!" Rebekah demanded.

_He smirked as he tallied the number of blood bags. _

"Hello brother, thought you were dead, so pleased you're not," he said mockingly.

"Indeed," Elijah replied curiously as he stepped into the room to see what had his attention.

_Rebekah scoffed. _

"We thought you were dead. We mourned you!" Rebekah complained. "You could have told us you possessed Tyler Lockwood's body!" she exclaimed.

"It would have been a small courtesy, brother," Elijah remarked, calmer than Rebekah.

_He growled under his breath. _

"Why? So you could retrieve my body before I could. So you could hold it over my head for a few decades before giving it back? Kind of like what you were going to do in your little deal with Elena, hmm?" he retorted.

"Elijah made that deal, Nik," Rebekah tattled, resting blame entirely upon Elijah's shoulders.

_He glared at Elijah who was now leaning against the fireplace mantle sipping at his glass of blood. _

_Elijah shrugged. _

"Under the circumstances, it was the best deal we could make. They had your body. If they wanted to they could have set it aflame or buried it at the bottom of the ocean if we were not accommodating," Elijah reasoned.

_He shook his head. _

"The both of you, along with Kol, are centuries stronger than those naive little vampires; surely your strength alone could have been persuasive," he replied.

"We had no idea where Damon had your body. Playing chicken with them would not have been wise," Elijah explained. "Besides, I thought it was time you received a taste of your own medicine, Niklaus," Elijah said defiantly.

_He hissed under his breath and lunged angrily at his brother, causing him to drop the now empty glass of blood he had been drinking from. It shattered against the wood floor instantly. _

"I could snap your neck and dagger you again right now if I wanted to," he spat. "For your convenient little deal, for your betrayal, for taking up residence in my home and using my money to buy yourself protection," he growled.

"But you won't," Rebekah threatened from behind him as one of his precious blood bags splattered against the wall beside the fireplace.

_He let go of Elijah instantly, turning his attention towards Rebekah who had the remaining blood bags clenched tightly in her hands. _

"Drop them, sister," he demanded, trying to remain calm.

"We were looking out for you, Nik. When I thought you were dead, I was heartbroken. Now, after everything, after almost dying, all you can do is threaten us and favour your doppelganger blood over your siblings?" she cried. "We're your family, Nik. How many times do I have to say that?" she asked.

"Drop them!" he shouted.

_She didn't listen. The bags of blood burst under her grip, squirting blood everywhere. _

"Niklaus," Elijah urged.

_Elijah's call did nothing to stop him. He grabbed her by the neck. She needed to be taught a lesson. _

"How dare you cross me, Rebekah," he told her. "You know, I was prepared to forgive your transgressions; the deal with Elena, the fact that you killed her so wastefully, but this..." he paused to gaze down at the splattered blood on the area rug. "This is another matter," he hissed.

_He went to snap her neck, but Elijah caught him off guard by grabbing him from behind, giving Rebekah the opportunity to free herself from his grasp. _

"Rebekah, go!" Elijah commanded her.

_She hesitated as she scanned the room, crying helplessly. Her eyes looked at him darkly before speeding out of the room and out of the house entirely. _

_He broke free from Elijah's hold at just that moment, but gave up the idea of going after his sister. She would be long gone by now, and he was expecting Caroline to arrive at any minute. _

_Turning back to Elijah, he eyed him with severe discontent. _

"I should snap your neck for interfering, Elijah," he revealed.

_Elijah shrugged nonchalantly as if challenging him to try. _

_He couldn't help but smirk at his brother's tenacity. _

"Now is not the time for frivolous quarreling and finger-pointing that you will only regret in the long-run, brother," Elijah said flatly as he gathered up some of the remaining doppelganger blood onto a small antique glass serving platter that had been on display.

_Elijah set it down on the table that now stood in between them, almost as a peace offering. _

"If it really means that much to you..." Elijah said, pushing the plate towards him.

_He scowled; first he was down to the blood he could drain from Elena; then he was down to the two blood bags his sister destroyed; and now he was down to this; a small platter of blood, probably only capable of creating a handful of hybrids. _

"Again Niklaus, I apologize for upsetting you. That deal with Elena was the best that I could do. That is over and done with now. Thankfully, it would seem that Ms. Bennett took matters into her own hands as far as you're concerned. We now have more pressing matters to discuss," Elijah stated.

"Such as?" he asked curiously.

"Well for starters, the Council and your dramatics at the Founder's Hall this evening and then perhaps Ms. Forbes," Elijah listed.

_It was the mention of Caroline that sparked his attention. Indeed, he was curious about his brother's relationship with her. It appeared as though Elijah knew much more than he thought about Caroline. _

"Go on then, Elijah, I know you won't be satisfied until you do," he said dismissively in an attempt to hide his intrigue.

"Do we have any reason to be concerned about the Council now that you're back in your body? Was there any issue?" Elijah wondered.

_He smiled as he took a few moments to bask in his success with the witch. _

"Not at all, brother. The witch and I were very successful. As you can see," he said, outlining his body with his hands. "For all the Council knows, I am still safe and sound in that claustrophobic coffin. Everyone was too distracted by the event to notice Bonnie and I. With a little compulsion and witch magic, here I am," he said proudly.

"Here you are," Elijah confirmed. "And you're sure nobody noticed you after that little stunt you pulled during the auction?" Elijah wondered.

_He rolled his eyes. _

"You're starting to sound like Caroline now, brother," he commented.

_Elijah's eyes seemed to light up at his mention of Caroline. _

"Ah, Caroline; she scolded you too I presume?" Elijah asked.

_He nodded. _

"Well she was right too. Without that coincidental power failure, the entire Council would know you're alive," Elijah warned.

"Believe me I'm aware of that, brother. I acted impetuously. I had other things on my mind," he replied.

"Caroline?" Elijah guessed.

_He glared at his brother's uncanny ability to read his mind. _

"I'm sure she was delighted to see you. She was devastated when she thought you had perished," Elijah explained.

"She spoke to you..." he trailed off, curious to hear what his brother would say.

_Elijah nodded. _

"She was the one who told me of your desiccation. The nature of her feelings for you quickly became apparent soon thereafter," Elijah revealed. "Knowing that the Council was after her and Tyler, I offered her my protection in the interim while we fulfilled the terms of the deal with Elena," Elijah went further.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, surprised by his brother's thoughtfulness.

_Elijah shrugged. _

"Rebekah told me you were quite taken with her; that you had even invited her to come with you when you planned to leave Mystic Falls. That's not something typical of you, Niklaus. She was obviously important to you. I wanted to ensure she would be here for you when we woke you," Elijah said.

"Why? So you could blackmail me into not killing you after you woke me?" he asked.

"Of course not," Elijah denied flatly.

_He sighed as he skeptically accepted his brother's denial, drifting back to his brother's prior words about Caroline waiting for him while he was desiccated. _

"She could never wait that long..." he sighed.

"She was fully prepared to brother, I assure you," Elijah argued. "When we thought that you had been killed, she was inconsolable. That's when I gave her back the bracelet you had given her. I thought you would want her to have it. I offered her my protection again, even in lieu of your death but she refused at the time, believing that I had a part in killing Elena. Was I wrong to have done those things, brother?" Elijah asked.

_He was still furious at Elijah for plotting behind his back; making a deal with Elena that would have seen him desiccated for decades if not centuries, but that deal had never came to fruition. In the meanwhile, Elijah had looked out for something – someone – most important to him. How could he fault his brother for that? _

_He shook his head. _

_Elijah exhaled in relief. _

"So her feelings for you then...they are reciprocal?" Elijah inquired.

_He hesitated. _

"I suppose you could say that," he replied, surprised he had been so honest with Elijah.

_He had barely said as much to Caroline. _

_Elijah smiled, quickly hiding it when he scowled at him. _

"She loves you, Niklaus," Elijah said.

"She told me," he told him.

"And tonight, Tyler discovered the truth..." Elijah pieced together.

_A vengeful smirk crossed his lips as he thought about it. _

"Where is Caroline now?" Elijah asked.

_Now he was growing annoyed with Elijah's inquisition. _

_He shrugged. _

"I would assume still confronting Tyler and her friends. She was to meet me here when she was finished," he told Elijah.

"She was dreading that confrontation," Elijah told him.

"Perhaps she got cold feet," he thought aloud pessimistically. "She could barely tell Tyler and her friends how she felt about me aside from apologies," he complained.

_Elijah frowned and looked disapprovingly at him. _

"Niklaus, you must be patient and give her time to be honest with her friends. You know their opinion of you. Imagine how intimidating it would be for her to stand up against that," Elijah persuaded. "She could very well lose all of her friends. She's probably terrified," he added. "Have you offered her any reassurance?" Elijah questioned.

_He looked quizzically at his brother; confused by what he meant. _

"Reassurance?" he asked.

_Elijah smirked making him feel like he was the butt of a joke. _

"Yes Niklaus, reassurance. Does she know that her sacrifice will be worth it?"

"I...um..."

_Elijah frowned. _

"You know how she feels about you, but have you told her how you feel about her?" he pressed.

"I tried..." he said meekly, almost ready to end this conversation for how uncomfortable it was making him.

_Elijah shook his head. _

"How can you expect her to risk everything for you by being honest with her friends, when you have not been completely truthful with her?" Elijah asked. "She needs to know from you that she is not making a mistake."

_He acknowledged his brother's words with a look of contemplation. _

"If you cannot offer her unconditional love Niklaus, you will lose her forever," Elijah said, warning him with almost the same words he had warned himself with. "Your charm and expensive gifts can only hold their appeal for so long," he added.

_He knew as much; she had basically told him that straight away. _

"You must think me to be a total hypocrite, brother," he said hanging his head. "I once told you that love was a vampire's greatest weakness..." he recalled.

"You're not a hypocrite, Niklaus," Elijah assured him. "Ignorant then about love, but not a hypocrite," he added.

_He scoffed. _

"I still am ignorant of love," he mused.

"I beg to differ, brother," Elijah replied with a grin. "Perhaps you'll come to find that quite the opposite is true..."

_He looked at Elijah curiously. _

"...love could be a vampire's greatest strength," Elijah finished.

_He laughed to himself as he recalled Caroline's words at the bar that first night. _

"What's so funny?" Elijah asked.

_He shook his head. _

"Caroline once told me something similar," he admitted.

_Elijah chuckled. _

"Then she is wise beyond her years," Elijah replied. "For all one knows, you could stand to learn a thing or two from the young vampire; if you already haven't," he said.

_He laughed dismissively at the thought of her being able to teach him anything. _

"What as she taught me?" he challenged.

_Elijah rolled his eyes at him. _

"How to love, Niklaus," Elijah said bluntly. "Don't act so dense," he warned jokingly.

_He went to the cabinet of liquor and poured himself the glass of scotch that he had not been able to indulge in as Tyler. _

_He offered Elijah a glass but he declined. _

_Downing the glass of liquor he paced the room considering Elijah's words. _

"Perhaps I should go to her," he wondered aloud.

_Elijah smirked. _

"I don't think that will be necessary," Elijah advised.

_Before he could question his brother, he could hear the front doors of the house open and close slowly. _

_Her watered-down perfume flooded his nose as soon as she stepped in the door. _

_They both listened as her heels clicked self-consciously against the marble floor of the foyer, getting louder as she approached. _

_He set his glass down and sucked in a breath as he anticipated her appearance. _

_She emerged in the entranceway to the sitting room apprehensively. _

_Her dress was sodden and the curls from her pony tail had fallen from the rain. _

_She looked helplessly at the both of them; the confrontation with her friends had obviously taken a toll on her. _

"Caroline," Elijah greeted her with a friendly tone.

_She smiled faintly at Elijah before looking to him. _

_He could see her eyes glaze over with tears as her bottom lip began to quiver. _

_Disregarding Elijah she stumbled down the steps into the sitting room and collapsed against his chest. _

_He brought her into his arms insecurely as Elijah looked on. _

"I'll excuse myself," Elijah said.

_Elijah gave him a knowing look before he left, as if to remind him of everything he had said._

* * *

**A/N: So I hope the Klaus/Elijah brotherly bonding sort of made up for the lack of Klaroline. As I wrote, I decided that the Klaus/Elijah stuff should be separate from the Klaroline stuff. I promise you 100% that will be the next chapter. Please hang tight for the Klaroline goodness.  
**

**I hope this chapter seemed realistic in the context of my story. I thought it was time for Elijah to knock some sense into his brother with regards to Caroline and his feelings for her. Yes, Klaus has feelings in my story. He is not a one-dimensional villain. So, if for some reason you weren't expecting that after reading all these chapters that's that, lol.**

**That being said, I'm still trying to figure out how Klaus can confront these feelings in a way that is both satisfying to Caroline while remaining somewhat true to Klaus's character, if that makes sense? I want it to be at least sort of realistic. Feel free to share your thoughts on this issue...**

**Oh yeah and a shout out to the show for the whole Rebekah/Klaus confrontation. I needed a way to get her out of the house...and a way to get rid of (most of) the remaining doppelganger blood and then I watched 4x01. Things didn't get as intense between them in my fic as they did on the show, but that's because Elijah was there to save the day. I long for the day when Elijah returns to the show. :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So my story broke the 300 review mark with the last chapter. That's so amazing guys. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read and review this story. **

**I thought I was going to get some serious hate for denying everyone the Klaroline reunion for another chapter, but most of you seem to like Elijah like I do and weren't too upset. **

**As a token of my appreciation and in celebration of a new TVD episode tonight, I worked very hard to give you – what I hope is – a satisfying two chapter update.**

**The second chapter isn't as long as the first, but I felt the need to split them up because each part has a significant development at the end (and no, I'm not just talking sexually, perverts! lol) and part one is from Klaus's point of view, while part two is from Caroline's. Plus I thought putting them into two chapters would give you a minute to catch your breath. ;)**

**As a warning, things do get pretty delicious in these two chapters, and by delicious, I mean sexy, so if that bothers you, skip over these chapters. I will also warn you that these chapters contain some serious Klaroline fluff, so if that bothers you at all, then I would also recommend you skipping over these chapters.**

**Oh, and if you have the time please refer to my lovely and faithful reviewer Klaufia's profile page www .fanfiction u/3762702/klaufia and check out the story art she did! **

**Please ignore any writing errors, and don't forget to drop me a review!**

* * *

_Her head was buried in his chest, but he could hear her quiet whimpers and feel her tears soaking through his shirt. _

_He rested one of his hands against her damp hair while the other curled around her waist protectively. _

_It used to be that her tears made him unexplainably uncomfortable, but now he knew what that discomfort was. He was angry; angry that anyone could make her this upset; angry that there was nothing he could do to make things right between Caroline and her friends short of leaving her, and that was not a concession he would even consider. His impulsivity urged him to leave for Elena's and threaten the lives of the Salvatores to take her forgiveness, but if he knew Caroline at all, she would not accept anything less than authentic. _

_The discomfort he felt was also guilt. He had never felt this guilty since her; not even when he daggered his siblings. He hated feeling guilty. All it signified to him was another's control over him. Admittedly, he quite enjoyed the control she had over him. However, the guilt was almost suffocating. He was a part of the reason she was crying now. No, he did not feel guilty that she had to make a choice between him and Tyler, but by choosing him she did this at the expense of her other friendships. Sure, he had not forced her friends to abandon her, but indirectly he had. Elijah was right; she was risking everything for him by standing up to her friends. He wasn't even sure why. _

_At the same time that he was uncomfortable he was pleased. Despite the risk and the sacrifice, she was here. She had met him here like he had requested. She was here with him and nowhere else. She had sought comfort from him. When she appeared in front of him and Elijah he could barely contain his relief. _

_He felt her shift against him before stepping back. _

"So what happened tonight after I left the Founder's Hall?" he inquired finally, knowing that question was just one of the elephants in the room.

_She sighed. _

"Tyler refused to listen to me; he left with Matt. Elena has practically disowned me. Bonnie was a little more understanding but no less angry," she scoffed. "Matt knew about us already," she told him.

_He eyed her curiously, unaware of this fact. That would explain why Matt had been so uneasy around him while he was in Tyler's body. At first he thought it was because Matt suspected that he had been in Tyler's body, but it had been about this all along. _

"The night of his accident I brought him back to my house so he'd have someone to stay with. He ended up finding the drawings you did of me," she revealed. "I told him about us. He agreed not to tell anyone as long as I came clean."

_He frowned in an effort to sympathize with her. _

"I suppose their reactions were exactly what I expected them to be," she admitted.

"I'm sorry," he said, that guilt creeping up on him again.

_She peered at him. _

"Don't be. I knew they would react the way they did. This was my choice," she assured him.

_He nodded reluctantly. _

_Her eyes drifted anxiously around the room before they examined the floor curiously. _

"What happened?" she asked as she wiped her eyes, referring to the broken glass and blood.

_He shrugged. _

"Just a little sibling dispute," he mused vaguely.

_She looked concerned. _

"With Elijah?" she asked.

_He shook his head. _

"No, Rebekah actually," he informed her. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, moving back towards the cabinet for the decanter of liquor; his attempt to change the subject.

_She turned her gaze away from the fireplace and nodded, an appreciative smile tugging at her lips. _

"What was the fight about?" she pried as she warmed herself beside the hot flames.

_He shrugged casually as he filled two glasses. _

"She threw a bit of a tantrum over the fact that I didn't tell her I was alive; that I was mad about their deal with Elena. Needless to say, she decided to exact revenge by destroying the remainder of the doppelganger blood I had in my possession," he admitted, handing her the glass of scotch.

_Caroline eyed him disapprovingly as she took a sip of the liquor; her face contorting slightly as it hit her lips. _

"I was mad that you didn't tell me you were alive," she pointed out. "As much as I hate sticking up for your sister after what she did to Elena, I think she was justified to be upset."

_He smirked at her attempt to undermine him. _

"And you know how I feel about the doppelganger blood," she said flatly, avoiding his stare.

"I thought you were supposed to be on my side?" he mused playfully.

_She glared at him, a small smile appearing on her lips. _

"A few more hybrids could offer protection; you protection; in the event of the Council catching on to us," he argued, before drinking from his glass.

_Turning towards him she arched an eyebrow. _

"Aren't you supposed to be the biggest baddest hybrid?" she wondered, amused.

_He smirked as he felt his cheeks begin to flush. _

"I suppose I am," he chuckled, knowing where she was taking this.

"Then you're all the protection I need," she concluded.

_Admittedly his ego was boosted, but he still wasn't satisfied. _

"I just want to ensure your safety," he stated, setting his nearly empty glass on the mantle.

_She smiled. _

_He brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, prompting her to look at him. _

"I'm serious, love. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you," he told her.

_He could see her reddened cheeks against the glow of the flame. _

_Elijah's words were weighing on his shoulders and he wanted to go further but he hesitated once more. _

_She spoke before he could. _

"Then you can imagine how I felt when I thought something actually did happen to you," she retorted.

_He sighed, turning away from her persistent stare. _

_She was preparing to confront him again; he could almost feel the tension in the air. _

_He waited for her to speak. _

"It was like there was this big empty space inside of me. Sometimes I felt like I couldn't breathe; and the only thing I could think about was that I would never get to tell you how I feel about you," she started, tears rising in her eyes. "And when I found out you were alive it was like my world was put back together in an instant," she smiled. "And then I told you how I felt, but you could barely say anything back," she frowned. "It's like I mean nothing to you; that you don't care," she whispered, looking down self-consciously to avoid his reaction as she took another short sip from her glass.

_Elijah's voice inside his head was shouting at him now. His body was completely tense. His chest was heavy and breathing was the last thing on his mind. _

"_You know how she feels about you, but have you told her how you feel about her?" Elijah taunted him. _

"Bloody hell," he relented under his breath as he exhaled. "You don't know how wrong you are, sweetheart," he admitted.

_That garnered her attention instantly as her head spun to look at him. _

_He laughed at himself mockingly. _

"I care; I care about you probably more than you will ever know," he said, cupping her face in his hands. "You mean everything to me," he confessed. "I've lived for centuries, yet have never lived more until you. I want nothing more than to you please you; to give you _everything_ you've ever wanted," he paused, "and all of those things are why you terrify the hell out of me, Caroline," he gasped, releasing her from his hold.

_From the corner of his eye he could see her mixed facial expression; she looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. _

"Why...why does that scare you?" she asked as her voice cracked.

_He sighed discontentedly. _

"Because it means that the 'biggest baddest hybrid' has a weakness after all; it means I have something - someone – to lose," he admitted.

_She smiled. _

_He could feel the smooth skin of her fingertips glide along the rough palm of his. Her delicate hand clasped around his. _

"Klaus..." she murmured, tugging gently at his hand.

_He gazed down at her bright eyes and tear stained cheeks. _

"You're not gonna lose me," she assured him confidently. "I'm right here," she whispered, bringing her his hand up against her cheek.

_She leaned into him slowly barely brushing her lips against his. _

_That alone sent the most pleasant of chills down his spine. _

_He let her take the lead for a few moments; he quite enjoyed her method of reassurance. _

_Her lips played along his, coaxing his own lips gingerly into a deeper kiss that tasted of scotch. _

_She dropped his hand from her hold, but he held it against the side of her face. _

_Her eyes opened slowly as she parted the kiss, her eyes drifting slowly from his lips up to meet his lustful stare. _

_She was staring back at him with a similar look of want; tempting him. _

_Reaching down with his other hand, he took the glass of liquor she was still holding from her hand and set it atop the mantle beside his, his eyes never wavering from hers. _

_With that, he startled her by capturing her face in both his hands and crashing his lips against hers. _

_They began to kiss frantically, their tongues sliding against each other's in need. _

_His hands moved down over her collarbone, outlining the curves of her body hidden underneath the heavy dress she was wearing. _

_In his mind, he wanted to take his time; he wanted to go slow for her; to worship her, but his mind and his body were two competing forces. _

_And judging by the way her hands were roaming his body and tugging at his shirt, she felt the same. _

_Sure, it had only been a short while since they were last together, but it had felt like a century; and he knew from past experience how torturous a century could feel. _

_Desiccated in the coffin he thought he might never experience this again; to feel the kiss of her lips, to feel her hands on him, and to hear her soft little sighs that he helped to provoke. _

_He yearned for this. He needed to have her. _

_She showed no signs of slowing down either as her fingers curled around the hem of his shirt, pulling it up enthusiastically. _

_He pulled it over his head the rest of the way and discarded it on the floor. _

_Her eyes roamed over the sight of his bare torso and he couldn't help but smirk at how obvious she was being. _

"See something you like?" he mused.

_She blushed upon realizing she had let her eyes linger a little too long. _

_Regardless, she nodded shamelessly. _

"I see a lot that I like," she confessed.

_Biting her lip in that seductive way of hers, she closed the distance between them, pulling him towards her by the belt of his jeans. _

_One of her hands snaked its way up his back, while the other moved over his stomach. _

_Her lips dragged languidly over his chest and then pressed against his neck. _

_He closed his eyes, savouring the feel of her tongue against the sensitive flesh under his jaw. _

_A part of him longed to feel her young fangs pierce his skin in this instant, but really, he wanted to save the best for last. _

_With his hands on her hips he pushed her back against the edge of the large sofa table. _

_The contents on the table shook as their bodies leaned against it. _

_Her mouth found its way to his once more, and he caught her lips with his; kissing her deeply and fervently. _

_There was an undeniable electricity between the two of them; an electricity that coursed through him and was driving him crazy. _

_He ran his tongue along her lips and brought his hands around her waist. _

_The jagged teeth of the zipper on her dress reminded him of her earlier proposition. _

_He grinned against her neck as he clasped the zipper in his hand and pulled it down carefully, slowly exposing the skin of her back to his adventurous hands. _

_Planting kisses along her neck, he revelled at the sound of her whimpering against his ear. _

_He could smell fresh blood moving through her veins and he distracted himself by slipping his hands inside her dress. _

_His calloused fingertips travelled up the tender skin of her back and rested on her shoulders. _

_She eyed him expectantly as his hands moved over her shoulders, bringing the material of her dress with them. _

_He pushed the dress down her arms and over her chest, exposing the sheer black lace bra she opted to wear underneath. _

_She pulled her arms out of the dress eagerly, allowing it to fall further down her torso. _

_Licking his lips hungrily, he lowered them to her luscious cleavage, kissing and sucking the flesh lightly. _

_Moving his hands over her stomach, he pushed the dress down over her hips before it fell to her ankles. _

_He backed up allowing her the space to step out of the dress. _

_She moved out of the dress anxiously and released her tangled hair from the tie that had been containing it. _

_Her breathing quickened as she made eye contact with him. _

_Backing up against the table, she clenched her fingers around the wooden edge. _

_He admired the sight of her before him. Her mussed hair led his eyes over the curves of her breasts and then down to the black lace thong that was framed by her silky long legs. The fact that she was still wearing her heels made her appearance even hotter to him if that was possible. _

"See something you like?" she challenged.

_He grinned and nodded _

"Of course, sweetheart," he said, pursing his lips.

_Moving closer, he kissed her lips, excitedly parting them with his tongue. _

_Her hands latched onto his belt and undid it hurriedly, as they continued their feverish kissing. _

"Let me take you upstairs," he said breathlessly before kissing her again.

_She shook her head in refusal. _

"No...here; I need you now," she panted.

_If he wasn't painfully hard already, her expression of pure want made his jeans even tighter. _

_He brought his hands up the back of her legs teasingly before lifting her up and placing her on the table. _

_With his belt undone, he unbuttoned his pants and removed them impatiently as she watched him intently. _

_She reached out and pulled him closer to her, his firm arousal pressing against the lace and cotton of her panties. _

_He growled under his breath at the barrier between them as he ran his hands up her thighs on either side of him. _

_She kissed him hard while his hands travelled ardently to the clasp of her bra. _

_With one small movement of his fingers her bra was undone and readily slid the straps over her shoulders. _

_She leaned back in response, revealing her bare torso and her perfect breasts to him. While one of her hands propped her up the other guided his lips to the supple flesh of her bust. _

_Her fingers curled themselves in his hair as he cupped one of her breasts and took the other with his mouth. He swirled his tongue over her nipple, while his hand kneaded the flesh of her other breast. _

_She moaned instinctively and he could smell her intoxicating arousal flush between her legs. He continued his ministrations prompting her to buck her hips helplessly towards his for any semblance of contact. _

_When he barely offered her a reprieve, loving how she was squirming against him, she took matters into her own hands, literally. _

_He should have expected her next move when her hands dipped in between them, but he gasped in surprise nonetheless when her fingers traced over the skin of his aching member. _

_Indeed, she was giving him a taste of his own medicine as her hand wrapped around him completely using his own ample pre-cum to lubricate her movement. _

_He rose from her chest to see her looking back at him with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. _

_Resting his hands flat against the surface of the table, he draped his head over her shoulder nibbling and kissing her neck as he allowed himself to indulge for a few moments in the feeling of her jacking him off. _

"Don't stop sweetheart," he hissed, distracting himself from the overwhelming sensation by placing one of his own hands in between them.

_She tensed when she felt his fingertips glide over the material of her damp panties. Pushing the material aside, he stroked a finger long her wet slit, causing her to shudder against him. _

_He teased her a bit longer with shallow strokes of his finger around her clit and down to her opening until one of her hands was digging hard enough into his back to draw blood. _

"Please," she whined just as he removed his hand.

_She gave him the most vindictive but seductive stare he had ever seen as she ceased touching him. _

_He smirked. _

"You drive me crazy when you look at me like that, love," he described, as he latched his fingers around the edges of her underwear.

"That's the point," she breathed.

_She pressed her thighs together and lifted herself up, enabling him to slide the dainty piece of material over the curve of her ass and down her legs. _

_He lifted both of her legs one at a time as he slipped them out of the undergarment. _

_His hands then caressed the backs of her ankles as he pushed the straps of her shoes over her heels, enabling them to fall from her feet with ease. _

_He paused for a moment to drink in the sight of her fully revealed to him. _

_Her body was perfection; a natural work of art. _

_She wrapped her hands around his neck and brought him closer as she spread her legs for him. _

_He consumed her lips in a heated kiss, loving how hungrily she kissed him back. _

_She was quivering under his touch in anticipation as he pressed his hard length against her slick folds. _

_Breaking their kiss, he watched her fixedly while he pushed inside of her; her delicious heat completely enveloping him. _

_She cried out appreciatively in response, and he thrust back inside of her harder, gripping her thighs to keep her in place. _

_He bit the inside of his mouth and groaned through his clenched lips as he slammed into her once more. _

_Her arms and legs constricted around him possessively while her mouth made its way along his neck. Her hot breath under his ear was sending him reeling. _

_She kissed his mouth longingly as she moaned delightfully against his lips. _

_He slowed his movements slightly so he could draw this out awhile longer; he wanted to savour the staggering feeling of being completely buried inside of her. _

_His unhurried thrusts also freed his hands, which he used to readily tease her hard nipples and the sensitive pearl between her legs. _

_She leaned to the side and brought her mouth to his ear. _

"Taste me," she urged, exposing the vulnerable flesh of her neck to him.

_His immediate reaction was hesitation, knowing that his bite was fatal to her, but the prospect of her biting him in return to heal herself eased his reservations and excited him. _

_Focusing on the scent of the blood rushing through her, he could feel his eyes begin to change and his fangs begin to protrude. _

_He continued his thrusts as he dipped his fangs into her neck. _

_As soon as his fangs pierced her skin he felt her begin to shake and the grip of her hands around his back tighten. _

_She released a loud moan into his shoulder; and as he sucked the saccharine blood from her neck he could feel her womanhood begin to spasm frenziedly around him. _

"Mmm, yes!" she gasped as her orgasm rippled through her.

_He pulled his fangs from her skin and licked and sucked at the wound he had left behind, before kissing her once more. _

_His own orgasm was not far off; the taste of her blood and her own climax were only driving him further to the edge, but he couldn't grant himself release until she drank from him. _

_He quickly bit into his own wrist and offered it to her. _

_She had been the only one he had ever shared his blood with like this. _

_As his hybrid features began to disappear, her vampire ones began to emerge. Her eyes darkened and her slender fangs emerged. _

_She held his forearm with one hand, while the other entwined her fingers around his. _

_Gazing up at him, she dug her fangs into his wrist. _

_He thrust hard against her in response. _

_His eyes clenched shut as the overwhelming feeling of her draining his blood and impending orgasm washed over him all at once. _

_A flurry of warm emotions overtook him as she drank. _

_She released his wrist gasping for air only to be devoured by his lips. _

_Finally, the pressure between his legs was relieved by the blissful feeling of his own orgasm pulsing through him. _

_He came undone inside of her, grunting against her mouth and kissing her sporadically, as he filled her. _

_He struggled to catch his breath as he came down from his climax. _

_Her hands cupped his face and her lips planted light kisses against his lips. _

_He flashed a contented grin as he pulled out of her. _

_She smiled back at him; her normal features having now returned. _

_Brushing his thumb under her swollen bottom lip, he wiped away the blood that remained. _

_She pushed herself off the table, smirking guiltily down at the floor as they both noticed the antique items they had not heard fall during their intense moments of passion. _

"Sorry," she whispered playfully before sucking on his lips teasingly, prompting him to completely forget for a second the reason for her apology in the first place.

"You can make it up to me later," he joked.

_She nodded as she bent down and helped herself to the black long-sleeved shirt he had been wearing. _

_Admittedly, it looked a lot better on her than it did on him. _

_As she took a drink from her previously disregarded glass, he slipped his pants back on. _

_He sat against the arm of the couch collecting his thoughts, staring at the dying fire, as she collected the rest of her things from the floor. _

_It was done. He had finally spilled his guts to her and told her how he felt. He expected to feel sick to his stomach or regretful, but he felt neither of those things. Truth be told, he felt relieved. _

"Klaus..." she murmured, dragging him from his thoughts.

_He looked up at her questioningly. _

_She held out her hand to him. _

"Take me to bed?" she asked demurely.

_His stomach knotted delightfully at her request; no woman had ever asked that of him before. _

"Of course, sweetheart," he obliged, taking her hand.

_He stopped as they passed the side table that contained the small serving tray of doppelganger blood. _

_She looked at him curiously. _

"Go on upstairs to my room, love. I'll be up in a minute," he explained.

_Her eyes were burning with suspicion but she nodded reluctantly and turned for the hall. _

_When she was gone, he picked up the tray of blood and studied it closely. _

_This was what he had been after for centuries. This was what would give him the hybrids he had so desperately wanted for all those years. _

_Now, suddenly, he felt completely indifferent. _

_He sucked in a breath and exhaled sharply as he tossed the glass platter into the fireplace._

* * *

**A/N: Onto the next one...**_  
_


	20. Chapter 20

_As she walked barefooted along the cool marble floor in the hall, she heard what sounded like shattering glass; she stopped and opted to turn back but assumed it was Klaus attempting to put away the items they had carelessly knocked over. _

_She smiled to herself as she entered the dimly lit foyer. _

_Turning for the stairs, she jumped when the front door opened. _

_She gasped and stood there frozen as pair of devilish eyes and an artful smile met her embarrassed stare. _

"Hello, darling," he mused as he closed the door behind him.

_As he came into the light she recognized him as Klaus's brother Kol. _

_Clutching the edges of Klaus's shirt, she pulled it down modestly. _

"I'm here for the family reunion," he chuckled. "But it looks as though the party already started without me," he said as his eyes roamed over her with great intrigue.

_He approached her closer, extending his hand. _

"I don't believe we were ever properly introduced, I'm Kol. Klaus's younger – more attractive half sibling," he said in a way that was flirtatious enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

_She smiled faintly, politely accepting his hand with one of hers, while the other held the shirt she was wearing firmly in place. _

"And you're the pretty little thing that my brother has taken quite the liking to..."

- "Caroline," an annoyed Klaus interjected as he appeared in the foyer.

_Kol smirked at his brother as he dropped her hand instantly. _

"That's right...sweet Caroline," Kol purred.

_She could tell Klaus was not amused by Kol's efforts to rile him up. _

"What are you doing here?" Klaus asked him angrily.

_Kol shrugged nonchalantly. _

"Elijah informed me that my other dear brother was back from the dead, so I had to come and see for myself," he said cheerfully.

"Well, here I am, back from the dead," Klaus stated through gritted teeth. "You're welcome to leave any time," he said in a fake polite tone.

_Kol looked between both of them amusedly, clearly noticing both their states of undress. _

"My apologies, angel," he said to her before turning to Klaus. "I didn't know the welcome-back-from-the-dead-party was a...private affair," Kol snickered.

_Klaus's face strained and she could tell he was doing all he could to hold back from physically attacking him. _

"She's quite the welcome-home entertainment, brother," Kol observed jovially, giving her another once-over.

_Klaus grabbed Kol by the collar of his shirt and tossed him furiously across the room. _

"Get out!" Klaus roared.

_Kol seemed unfazed by his brother's reaction as he stood up from the floor, giggling to himself. _

"I'm happy to see you too, brother," Kol said sarcastically.

_She tugged at Klaus's hand sensing the trouble that would erupt if the confrontation between Kol and him continued. _

"Fine, we'll leave," Klaus barked to his brother. "See yourself out."

_He trudged up the staircase and she followed behind. _

_She entered his room warily, recalling the last time she had been here. It had not gone over well. Then again, that was a very different time. Things had changed now between them. _

_He shut the door behind them and she leaned against it as she laughed. _

"I'm sorry for my annoying younger brother," Klaus apologized seriously.

_She laughed some more and held her hands over her face. _

"What?" he asked.

"That was so embarrassing," she chuckled. "Your brother seeing me like that," she clarified.

_He smiled. _

"Kol can be quite the pest," Klaus informed her.

_She sneered. _

"Well he had to learn from someone," she joked.

_His eyebrows furrowed at her. _

"Are you calling me a pest?" he asked.

"Maybe," she said playfully.

_He used his vampire speed to take her by surprise, grabbing her by the waist and causing her to drop her things. _

_She screamed excitedly. _

_Throwing her down onto his bed mirthfully as she laughed, he pinned her down against the mattress. _

_Her fit of laughter soon subsided allowing her the opportunity to catch her breath. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her with amusement. _

"I've never heard you laugh like that before," he pointed out.

"Well I guess you're just not a funny guy," she quipped, catching his lips in a quick kiss before resting her head back down against the soft blankets.

"So do you think that your brother Kol is gonna keep bothering me?" she asked, curious about Klaus's younger sibling.

"Not if I can help it," he stated simply. "I doubt he'll be much longer anyways. One, because I'll see to it that he isn't; two, Mystic Falls doesn't really appeal to him," he explained.

"I suppose not all your siblings can be like Elijah," she sighed.

_She noted him shift uncomfortably with the mention of his older brother. _

"Listen, I know you're kinda pissed at him still for his deal with Elena, but he was only trying to look out for everyone's best interests – including mine. He really helped me out when you were...gone," she told him.

"I know," he nodded reluctantly.

"So what were you and Elijah talking about tonight? It seemed important," she asked, curious to know what she had interrupted.

_He smirked. _

"Elijah was just giving me a hard time," he said.

"About?" she asked, wondering if he would tell her.

"You mostly," he admitted.

"Oh?" she laughed.

"He just set me straight about you," he confessed. "And of course, he scolded me for the bold move at the Founder's Hall," he groaned.

- "Stupid move," she interjected.

_He laughed. _

"Okay, _stupid_ move at the Founder's Hall," he relented.

_She huffed triumphantly. _

"P.S. about that, fifty-thousand dollars?" she scoffed. "That's it? That's all I'm worth?" she chided.

_A worried expression crossed his features until she couldn't suppress her smile any longer. _

"Love, auctions aren't about what the item is worth; it's about the kind of deal you can get on the item. Personally, I think fifty-thousand was quite generous," he teased.

_She scoffed jokingly as she punched him playfully in the chest to push him off of her. _

_Bringing herself up to the pillows, she sighed contentedly, discarding his shirt before pulling some of the heavy blankets overtop of her. _

_Closing her eyes she listened as she heard him step out of his jeans once more and climbed into his bed behind her. _

_The warmth of his body pressed against her was comforting; she never had that feeling with Tyler. In fact, she and Tyler had never spent a full night together apart from when Klaus was in his body. _

_All of this seemed so surreal. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be here like this with Klaus Mikaelson she would have laughed in their face. If someone had told her that she would be here like this with Klaus a few days ago, she would have leaped into their arms with excitement and relief. _

_After telling her friends everything tonight she expected to feel disgusted, guilty, and sad. To a degree she did feel those things; she was terribly sorry for hurting her friends – but she couldn't contain the pure delight she felt lying next to him; the pure delight she felt when he had told her in a roundabout – but no less meaningful – way that he loved her; the pure delight she felt when their bodies connected. _

"You're invaluable," he whispered encouragingly into her ear.

_His arm fell over her waist and he pulled her closer to him. His breath was fanning her shoulder and she shook slightly at the sensation. When his lips touched the nape of her neck she shook harder. _

_Heat rushed to her core instantly, and she cursed him for being able to have such an effect on her so soon after their last encounter. _

"And you're incorrigible," she laughed without turning in his direction.

"I prefer insatiable," he said roughly as he raked his fingers through her hair.

_She murmured as he kissed her back and pressed his warm body against hers. _

"It doesn't sound like you're complaining," he pointed out.

_Her cheeks flushed as she felt his hard length brush against the small of her back. _

_Admittedly, she was enjoying his so-called insatiable appetite for her. It was flattering to feel so lusted after. _

_She knew that he wanted her; and she wanted him again more than anything, but she wasn't about to grant him the satisfaction of knowing that yet. _

_His hand moved over her hip and down her thigh a few times as he planted kisses along her upper arm; the feel of his light stubble sent goose bumps down her body. _

"We have eternity," she reminded him humorously, only realizing the gravity of her words after she spoke them.

_His movements stopped and she could hear him suck in a breath anxiously behind her. _

"Is eternity with me really what you want?" he asked meekly.

_She twisted her head around to look at him before nodding slowly. _

_It was what she wanted. She hadn't been completely sure of that going into tonight, but now she had never been more certain of anything. _

_His hand slipped along her jaw and throat holding her face to him as he kissed her; taking all the air out of her lungs while breathing new life into her all at once. _

_This was what she had been dreaming about as long as she could remember. She wanted excitement, she wanted passion, she wanted spontaneity, she wanted adventure, she wanted romance, and she wanted his subtle but unwavering love; she had it all, she could feel it. _

_Relaxed, she rested her head back down against the pillow and stretched her arms out above her, hoping her eternity comment wouldn't stop him from continuing with his earlier plan. _

_To her elation, he planted more kisses along the back of her neck while his hand moved up the back of her thigh, cupping her ass before spreading out along her back. _

_She moaned under her breath approvingly, hoping it would give him reassurance. _

_Soon his hand had reached around to her front, drawing circles along her stomach as it made its way up below her breasts. _

_Her eyes closed in concentration and consternation as she awaited the feel of his hand on her chest. _

_To her relief, he didn't tease too long before dragging his fingertips over the sensitive flesh of her breasts. Her nipples awakened immediately to his touch and she scolded her body for being so responsive. _

_She began to breathe more erratically, and his smile against her neck signalled to her that he had caught on. _

_He rolled both nipples between his fingers, opting every now and then to cup and caress her aching bust. _

_The stimulation was overwhelming and the dull ache at her centre grew more pronounced as he continued. _

_Her thighs were wet with desire, something he was sure to discover the second his hand descended lower. _

_She whimpered as he nibbled and sucked on her earlobe, clenching her legs together in a frantic attempt to release the pressure that had built so quickly between them. _

_Her face was practically burning with arousal as his lips skimmed her neck. _

_She was almost tempted to force his hand between her legs to satisfy the hunger he had stirred inside of her, but she was determined to wait it out until he made his move. _

_By the time his hand reached between her legs she was almost ready to pass out from the desperate yearning she felt. _

_Again, he smirked against her neck as he felt how wet she was for him. _

_He swirled his index finger expertly over her throbbing clit a few times; not enough to send her over the edge, but enough to take her there and drag her back a few times. _

_She was squirming under his touch and she lifted her leg slightly to allow his fingers better access to her aching womanhood. _

_Two of his fingers buried themselves inside of her while the flat of his palm was pressed firmly against her sensitive bud. _

_She gasped delightfully at the sensation, grabbing at the pillows and blankets to quell her desire. _

_His forearm held her tightly against him effectively preventing her from turning or shifting in any significant way, but she could contort her head just enough to brush her lips against his. _

_He captured her lips with his, deepening the kiss as his fingers delved deeper inside of her. _

_She needed him, and he knew it without her even having to say it. _

_Removing his fingers, he eagerly positioned himself at her opening from behind. _

_His legs entangled with hers as he eased himself inside of her in one swift movement. _

_Their sweat intermixed and glued their bodies together as he steadily moved in and out of her. _

_Much to her satisfaction, his fingers returned to her clit and in seconds she was running towards that cliff edge with no sign of holding back. _

_Her body was on fire, her jaw was clenched, and her breathing turned shallow as she went completely rigid. _

_She jumped over that edge with no reservations. _

"I'm cumming," she declared as her hands clenched the sheets and her toes curled against his.

_Her body convulsed while her orgasm rocked through her. _

_She could feel her walls spasm tightly around his manhood as her orgasm completely coated him in her juices. _

_His hand moved from her centre to her stomach as he tightened his grip on her. She felt like he was holding onto her for dear life. _

_With a few more frantic thrusts he was moaning gratefully into her ear. _

_She loved hearing the sound of his voice like this; so consumed by her; so animalistic but so vulnerable. _

_He gasped loudly in surprise as if his orgasm had snuck up on him. _

_His body shook sporadically as his hips moved against her steadily. She could feel the warm evidence of his climax inside of her. _

_After riding the wave of his orgasm with a few more shallow thrusts he collapsed behind her in exhaustion. _

_She rolled over to face him slowly. _

_His hands were spread out over the mattress as he stabilized his breathing. _

_Curling up against him, she was practically on top of him as she hitched her leg over his. _

_She inhaled sharply, taking in the scent of his body, and their lingering arousal. _

_Making her way to his lips with hers, she could tell his mind was in contemplation, but she couldn't be certain about what. _

_She hesitated, but kissed his lips lightly anyways, only stopping when she noticed him studying her. _

"What?" she asked nervously.

_He chewed on his lips for a few moments before speaking up. _

"So does eternity mean you'll come with me when I leave Mystic Falls?" he asked, sounding more confident this time than the last.

_She looked at him for a few moments before she acquiesced. _

"Yes," she whispered.

* * *

**A/N: *fans self* So what did you think?**

**Before anyone sends me angry messages about me turning Klaroline into Forwood by making them have sex all the time, let me point a few things out. First, my last smutty chapter was chapter 8. Second, whereas I feel that Forwood sex has lost its meaning and purpose and seems to function as a way to move the TVD story along on the show, I believe that my Klaus and Caroline sex (especially in these two chapters) has a purpose. It's meant to convey their connection to one another and how enthralled they are with one another. If there is any complaint about this or the abundance of Klaroline fluff in these two chapters, PM me and I'll be more than happy to explain and justify the chapters in further detail.**

**With that said, I hope the dialogue between them was not overshadowed. I hope the dialogue made sense in the context of my story and that Klaus's admission to Caroline was on point and how you expected it to be. **

**Did you enjoy Kol's appearance? I know some of you were asking about him. Putting him into my story was kind of a spur of the moment decision as I typed out the chapter, so I haven't decided how much of a role he'll play in further chapters (if at all). We'll see. **

**On a final note, I'm at another crossroads with this story. As I've said, I have my ending in mind, but it's filling in the blank chapters in between to get there that is giving me trouble. Thus, it will be awhile until another update. I am always open to suggestions and I'd love to hear from you if there's anything you want to see, or anything you want addressed.**

**I apologize for these lengthy author's notes. Please review me and let me know what your thoughts!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: First and foremost I need to thank all of you for your patience. I needed a little break from this story to regain my inspiration. I also needed to deal with certain realities of life. Again, thank you for understanding and HUGE thank you for all the supportive responses I received for the last two chapters. **

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter yet, but I kind of just wrote what came to me as I followed my general plan. I think I incorporated all your favourite things and characters though, so I hope you like it. **

**As for the next update, I'm not sure when that will be. It's entirely a blank slate at this point, although I do have a few vague plans for its direction. **

**Admittedly, I have been cheating on this fan-fiction by taking a bit of time to develop another idea for a two-fic Klaus/Caroline story. It's definitely new for me as it's AU/AH. It would be loosely based on a movie I watched the other week **_**Life as We Know It**_**. I have the first chapter to the first part written, but I'm debating whether to post it and proceed. I'm going to take my time with it. I've also been considering delving into Klaus/Stefan territory because I have a weak spot for them after Klaus and Caroline :D. Love Interruption is still my top priority though, but I find writing new ideas often gives me inspiration for the works I'm already in the middle of.  
**

**Please ignore any spelling errors or other inconsistencies, I edited this as best I could, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer for an update! Enjoy and let me know your thoughts. :D**

* * *

_She awoke to the sound of her cell phone alarm going off. Sitting up, she surveyed the room and reminded herself where she was. _

_It didn't take a lot of reminding to realize she was still in Klaus's room and not in hers. The luxurious cotton sheets and heavy blankets were enough to tip her off; everything else in the large master bedroom were just added bonus hints. _

_A second take of the room alerted her to its disarray. _

_The blankets on the bed were completely mussed; clothes littered the floor; furniture was moved; glasses and plates covered the table in Klaus's sitting room; Klaus's art supplies were strewn about. Some of it had been that way prior to her arrival, but much of it was the product of the past day. _

_No, this was not the morning after the events at the Founder's Hall; it was the morning after that. _

_She had spent a day and two nights self-confined to this room with Klaus's company. As much it was done to hide from her new reality, it was also done to embrace it; part of that new reality being Klaus._

_They had spent the entire day locked in his room on purpose. He had only left the room a handful of times to retrieve them food. _

_Some of his siblings had come and gone during the past day, namely Elijah, but they hadn't crossed paths with any of them. _

_The previous day had started with them in bed together. She told him she wanted to forget about the drama in her life for a day and he had set his mind to accomplishing just that for her. All talks and thoughts of her friends and the implications of their new relationship ceased. He had even gone so far as to hide her phone from her for the day - but not before texting her mother with a vague message about her being okay. _

_They talked about where they would go when they left Mystic Falls. He told her stories of Tokyo, New York, London, Venice, Paris, Sydney, Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Cape Town...the list of cities that he told her about went on and on, but she listened so intrigued. He had been everywhere it seemed and she was fascinated. He told her to pick any place she wanted, but she couldn't decide. The prospect of leaving Mystic Falls was overwhelming and exciting all at once. She told him to surprise her. _

_Their fanciful day dreams of the world ended with another passionate embrace. They moved effortlessly from indulging in each other's minds to each other's bodies. She couldn't get enough of him; his lips; his eyes; the feel of him pressed so intimately inside of her. It was so primal yet so imbued with meaning for her. _

_That moment of bliss was proceeded by a much needed shower that they shared together. _

_Without any intention of leaving his room, she helped herself to his clothes, opting for a pair of boxers and a white button-up shirt, much to Klaus's dismay. He had urged her to go without clothes primarily for his viewing pleasure, but she sheepishly refused. _

_He himself had followed his advice, dressing only in a pair of pants; his beautifully defined torso exposed for her enjoyment. _

_They spent a few hours watching ridiculous daytime movies on television that gave her - and even Klaus - a few moments of laughter. _

_While she scanned through the now repaired shelves full of books and his music collection, he painted and sketched. _

_They dined on blood that night and then on each other. _

_His bite was fatal to her, she knew, but the intense wave of pleasure and warmth she felt as he drank from her was too great to ignore. _

_He explained to her the significance of blood sharing between vampire lovers which in turn explained why she felt so connected to him when they did it. _

_The fact that he had referred to her as his lover made her quiver with excitement and lust. _

_They ended the night lost in each other's arms once more. _

_It was unbelievable to her how much she yearned for him despite having already been sated by him several times over. _

_She had never been in this kind of relationship before. It felt different. She didn't feel self conscious with him. She didn't feel the need to hold back. She was at ease with him. He had ignited a spark within her sexually, emotionally, intellectually; it was an amazing and addictive feeling. _

_Now, as she struggled to silence the alarm on her phone, he began to stir restlessly beside her. _

_She went to climb off the bed, but his hand had grabbed her wrist. _

_In an instant her wrists her pinned above her against the pillows while he hovered above her. _

_She shrieked playfully as he stared down at her unimpressed. _

"I knew I shouldn't have given you back that irritating piece of technology," he complained groggily, snatching the phone from her hands.

"It was my alarm," she informed him.

"Alarm for what?" he asked.

"To wake up, silly," she joked.

_He frowned in frustration without the answer he was demanding. _

"I'm going to school today," she explained.

_He scoffed at the idea. _

"School?" he asked in disbelief.

_She nodded. _

"Why?" he groaned.

_She laughed. _

"Because the last time I checked attendance is not optional," she mused.

"All your 'friends' are there," he reminded her. "You know the ones who practically disowned you the other night..."

_She stared up at him persistently. _

"That's exactly why I'm going," she said decidedly.

_He sighed in defeat. _

"Perhaps I don't want you to go," he challenged, pressing his lips against her neck.

"You can't always get what you want," she retorted with a smirk.

_He hissed._

"Yes, I can," he stated, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss.

_As much as she loved the taste of his lips, she was determined to go to school today...on time. _

_She pressed up on his bare chest, pushing him to break the kiss. _

_He groaned. _

"Come on, love. What can I do to convince you to stay?" he asked.

_She laughed at his obvious efforts to bribe her. _

"Nothing," she assured him as he dipped his lips above her chest.

_He looked up at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. _

"I can be very convincing," he urged her.

_She shook her head. _

_He ignored her protests and kissed her lower in between her breasts. _

"Let's see," he said against her skin as he moved lower.

_She began to shiver as her self-control began to buckle. _

"Klaus stop," she pleaded, pulling at his shoulders.

_Still, he went lower. _

_He glanced up at her with a devious smile before parting her legs. _

"Klaus," she chastised weakly, knowing she wouldn't put up a real fight.

_She was already aching for him and he had barely even touched her. _

_He kissed the insides of her thighs teasingly, before brushing his breath against her centre. _

_She was melting like butter against his hot touch. _

_His tongue lightly stroked the sensitive flesh between her thighs and she gasped heavily. _

"I need to get ready," she whimpered in feeble protest.

_He dragged his tongue lazily over her clit. _

"Just a few kisses..." he pouted, draping his forearm over her torso effectively preventing her from moving. "You know this won't take long," he said cockily, before drawing the aching little dot of flesh into his mouth.

_She shrieked as her back arched off of the mattress. _

_He was right; it wouldn't take long. He'd have her coming undone in mere minutes against the velvety feel of his tongue. She'd be seeing stars. _

_Relenting completely, she spread her legs and ran her hands through his hair encouragingly. _

"Good girl," he cooed seductively, inserting a finger inside of her.

_She almost came right then and there. _

_Her hips bucked against his hand and lips as he slipped another digit inside of her. _

_His tongue drew circles around her clit at a steady pace as his fingers hit all the right spots. _

_When the hand across her stomach found its way to her nipple, any lingering hesitation was destroyed as the familiar tingle of her orgasm ripped through her body._

_She cried out breathlessly as her hands dug into the skin of his shoulders. _

"Oh my god," she sighed contentedly as he rose from in between her legs.

_He licked his lips before rubbing the remaining evidence of her orgasm from his face with his forearm. _

"I told you it wouldn't take long," he repeated proudly.

_She flipped him over unexpectedly so that she was astride him. _

_Grinding her hips down against his, she could feel that he was already hard for her. _

_He growled under his breath excitedly as he gazed up at her lustfully. _

_Her hair draped over him as she leaned down to consume his lips with her own. _

_She could still taste her sweet and sour flavour on his tongue. _

_Before she could deepen the kiss, he pulled her away from his lips by her hair. _

"Don't you have to get ready for school?" he questioned her.

"I'll skip the shower," she said, kissing him again.

_He broke the kiss once more. _

"You'll still be late," he pointed out, taking a turn to kiss her.

"Not if you give me some of your sister's clothes to borrow so I don't have to stop at home," she mumbled, reclaiming his lips. "Are you seriously going to argue me on this?" she groaned.

_She smiled against his neck as her hand grasped the thick length of his manhood. _

_He shook his head as she began to trail kisses down his chest. _

"Not while you're holding me like that, love," he said huskily as one of his hands began to wander through her messy hair while the other cupped her bottom appreciatively.

_She murmured from the combination of his touch and the delicious feeling of her breasts grazing over the flat of his chest. _

_She inhaled deeply taking in the lingering musky but sweet and citrusy scent of his body wash as she lowered herself down his torso, intent on repaying him for morning treat he gave her – even if she had been unwilling to receive it at first. _

_This was her first time going down on him, she realized. She hesitated unnoticeably for a few seconds as she debated whether or not to proceed. Surely he had not grown conservative in his old vampire age – he had gone down on her twice. _

_Gazing up at him as she moved lower she noted his bated breathing and the skin tighten around his jaw as he stared down at her with hooded eyes. _

_No, he definitely wasn't going to stop her. _

_She was glad for it. She had never been this excited to go down on a guy before. It had always seemed like such a chore – something to do because guys expected it. Tyler enjoyed it but he was anything but enthusiastic or appreciative. If Klaus's other bedroom behaviour was any indicator, she could be certain that this would play out very differently. _

_Positioning herself in between his legs, she continued the path of her tongue over the ridges of his abs as she caressed the soft skin of his shaft. _

_She moved lower, barely touching the head of his cock with her lips. _

_In response, his hand griped her hair tighter. _

"You know, you're quite the tease," he hissed.

_He soon ate his words as she slowly drew him into her mouth completely. _

_She grinned as his entire body tensed and he fought the urge to suppress a moan. _

_Her heated tongue dragged up the underside of his manhood before swirling around his tip while her silken fingers stroked him. _

_He released a loud growl through his gritted teeth. _

_She took him into her mouth again, following her hands down to the base of his cock with her moist lips and tongue. _

_As he held onto her hair tighter he thrust his hips against her mouth, pushing his manhood against her throat. _

_She quickened the pace of both her mouth and hands; both working in sync to coax out his orgasm. _

_Looking up at him for reassurance, she saw his face contorted into the most pleasurable of expressions; his eyes clenched shut and his lips curled together. _

_Feeling her eyes on him, he looked down at her. _

"Don't you dare stop," he ordered, his demanding tone of voice prompting her to shiver delightfully.

_Without a word, she obliged him by taking him into her mouth once more. _

_His breathing was ragged and his entire body was motionless as he stiffened against her lips. _

_She withdrew him from her mouth slightly, knowing he was about to cum any second. _

"I'm gonna cum, sweetheart," he warned her, giving her the chance to retreat if she desired.

_Keeping her lips firmly around him, she dragged her tongue over his head, urging him to let go. _

_He groaned loudly and wasn't long before she could feel the warm salty liquid of his cum spurt against her tongue. _

_She swallowed all of it, keeping her lips around him to collect any remaining drops. _

_Before she could even say anything, or he could say anything to her, the bedroom doors busted open behind her after a very brief knock. _

_She shrieked in surprise, gathering up the sheets at her legs to cover herself and Klaus as he sat up. _

_Klaus's face was red with anger. _

_As she turned to sit up against the headboard beside Klaus, she saw Kol standing smugly in the doorway. _

_Her face was beat red as she concluded that Klaus's brother has more than likely just seen her naked and in a very compromising position between Klaus's legs. The look on Kol's face was only added confirmation of this. _

_Klaus's body is tense now – not from pleasure, but from anger, and she knows he wants to lunge at his brother, but his current state of undress has rendered him helpless. _

"What the hell are you doing?" Klaus demanded through gritted teeth. "I told you never to enter my room, under any circumstance," Klaus chastised.

_Kol smirked. _

"Well, Elijah wanted us all to have breakfast before I leave town again, and I thought I'd personally invite you," he explained. "But," he said looking directly at her. "I take it you two have already eaten," he snickered.

_She blushed, but Klaus merely smirked, as if to accept Kol's challenge. _

_Klaus kissed her lips unexpectedly before turning back to Kol. _

"Indeed; and what a fine meal it was," he observed.

_His words painted her cheeks red, but she felt satisfied when she noticed Kol grimace. _

"You're only leaving now?" Klaus asked. "I thought I told you to be gone the other night?"

_Kol shrugged. _

"Bekah is still angry with you, so I decided to keep her company. Besides, you know I can't come through this town without sampling some of the local cuisine," he remarked, quite obviously referring to the local people.

_She frowned. _

"Surely my brother can't be that satisfying Caroline, perhaps you'd still like to join us for something more appetizing?" Kol proposed.

- "She's has to go to school," Klaus interjected, saving her from having to reply.

_She nodded confirming Klaus's statement. _

_Kol chuckled. _

"Well isn't that cute," he mused.

_She scowled. _

"Leave, now, Kol. I'll be down in a minute," Klaus growled.

"As I'm sure you already were?" Kol laughed, making a sexual innuendo.

_Before Klaus could say another word, Kol was already slipping out of the doorway. _

"And you might want to think about getting that lock fixed," he remarked, as he shut the door behind him.

_She fell back against the bed with a loud huff. Now she was more angry than embarrassed. _

"You're brother really is a pest," she groaned. "Does he forget to use his sensitive hearing?" she muttered.

_Klaus chuckled as he rose from the bed. _

"He never forgets, sweetheart. That's precisely why he was in the doorway at that exact moment," he explained nonchalantly as he dressed into a pair of track pants from the floor.

_Her eyes widened with disgust. _

"Ewww," she complained. "I thought you old vampires retained some of your old-world manners," she pointed out.

"Kol never possessed old-world manners to begin with," he laughed, heading for his door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To retrieve some of Rebekah's clothes for you to wear; unless you'd prefer to wear your dress from the other night?" he mused.

_She nodded appreciatively. _

_He returned rather quickly with a pile of clothes he likely picked from her closet haphazardly. Most of the clothes still had their original store tags on them. _

"It looks like Rebekah hasn't even worn these yet. Help yourself," he offered as he dropped the clothing on the bed.

_She threw together an outfit while Klaus changed in his closet. _

_Since their size in pants differed, she opted for a grey pencil skirt that was easier to fit, finishing it with a black button up blouse. She was tempted to sneak into Rebekah's room for a belt to wear, but the outfit would work. Her heels from the nice before would also match nicely. She didn't make a habit out of wearing heels to school, but she hoped the casual nature of the outfit would distract from her previously worn heels and the fact that she would essentially be doing the so-called "walk of shame" while at school. _

_She dashed past Klaus and into his bathroom to fix her hair. Luckily, she always carried a few random hair pieces and makeup in her purse for emergencies. She cleaned up the best she could before applying some light makeup and throwing her hair back into a messy bun. When all was said and done, she was rather impressed with her quick work._

"I see my sister's clothes sufficed," Klaus noted from the bathroom doorway as she brushed her hands over the material self-consciously.

_She nodded. _

_He was dressed now too; a simple white t-shirt and jeans. While she would never come right out and say it, however ironic it seemed, she preferred him in white from time to time. _

"Shall I see you out?" he asked.

_For a few quick moments his question made her apprehensive. For a few quick moments things grew awkward between them. Could they pick up from where they left off in this room if she left him? Would it be the same? Or would he become detached once more? _

"Sure," she said, suddenly hesitant as she approached him.

_She was foolish to think she would just be able to walk by him without any consequence. _

_He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him before kissing her. _

_As he tried to deepen it, she sighed against his lips and pulled away reluctantly. _

"I really need to go to school this time," she smirked as she collected her things.

_She didn't want to leave. The cowardly side of her wanted to stay cooped up in Klaus's mansion for a few more weeks, revelling in the choice she had made without having to deal with any of the consequences. But she knew this was not something she could procrastinate on. She needed to carry on, and she needed to remedy things with her friends before she embarked on a new life with Klaus. _

_Stepping out of the room, she descended the grand staircase anxiously as she could hear both Kol and Elijah talking. Klaus followed behind. _

_While she didn't mind speaking to Elijah, she hadn't had a proper conversation with him since before Klaus's reappearance, and she wasn't about to start one with Kol in the vicinity. _

_Before she could reach the front doors undetected, Elijah cleared his throat from one of the adjacent rooms. _

"Caroline, good morning," he called to her.

_She passed him a friendly smile and approached him, despite the fact that she was already running late. _

_Elijah was seated at a circular dining table with a variety of breakfast foods on display. He was dressed in his regular suit attire. _

_She hesitated when she noted Kol standing at the far window with a Cheshire grin planted across his face. _

"Morning, Elijah," she said politely.

"Join us for breakfast?" Elijah offered, extending his hand to the chair beside his.

_She frowned and bit her lip. This all seemed too weird...too domesticated. A few weeks ago she was trying to kill these people and now Klaus's brother was inviting her to share breakfast. _

"She can't brother, Niklaus has already made her late for school," Kol interjected, glancing past her towards Klaus who she could feel behind her. "Bekah has already left. She told me to remind you about the Prom Committee meeting," Kol added.

"Thanks," she said unsurely.

_To be honest, she had completely forgotten about the Prom Committee. It was just another thing to add to her list of things and people she would have to confront. In addition to her friends, it seemed there was no way to avoid Klaus's sister. _

_Elijah seemed just as amused as Kol did with the idea of school but he smiled at her, nonetheless. _

"Well brother, perhaps you'll have to be more mindful of Caroline's schedule," Elijah mused to Klaus.

_Kol snorted. _

"Sorry I can't stay," she apologized.

_Elijah nodded. _

"Another time," he said.

_She nodded back. _

_With that settled she turned to leave once more, stopped only by the presence of Klaus behind her. _

_Deciding to play with both Kol and Klaus, she smiled at Klaus sweetly, taking him by surprise as she kissed him lightly on the lips. _

_She knew Klaus was uncomfortable with the display of affection, but she did it anyways. _

_His lips barely moved against hers but it still counted as a kiss. _

_Kol looked bitter and unimpressed and Elijah was trying to hide a smirk having obviously caught on to her intent. _

"Call me later?" she said lowly to Klaus, who was aflame with embarrassment and intrigue.

_He gave a quick nod and she headed for the foyer. _

"Oh Klaus?" she stopped. "Can I borrow a car? Wouldn't want anyone to catch me vampire speeding around town in broad day-light," she said.

_Judging by the look on Klaus's face, she was clearly testing her limits with him. _

_It was true though. She had come to his place without her car the other night. She couldn't just speed to her house in the middle of the day to get her car. _

"Keys are in the garage, take your pick," he muttered with his back turned to her, obviously annoyed.

_She half expected him to offer to drive her, but with Elijah and Kol both watching their interaction curiously, Klaus wasn't about to take that step. _

"Thanks," she said, waving in Elijah's direction.

* * *

_All three of them listened for the door to the garage to slam shut. _

_Kol was snickering under his breath and even Elijah had a smirk planted on his face. _

_He scowled. _

"What has the two of you so amused?" he asked them threateningly as he picked at some of the fruit displayed on one of the breakfast platters.

_Elijah shrugged, but he knew Kol would willingly oblige him with a snide reply. _

"Who would have thought that a little blonde baby vampire would have you so whipped," Kol mused.

"Shut your mouth," he warned.

_Kol chuckled. _

"Really Kol, Niklaus was only being a gentleman to Caroline. I hardly think that to be considered being 'whipped' as you call it," Elijah remarked.

_He sneered at Kol, as if his elder brother's defence granted him victory. _

"Yes Kol, a gentleman, something you would know nothing about," he said to his younger brother.

_Kol shrugged. _

"Well brother, tell sweet Caroline that when she grows tired of Niklaus the gentleman that I am more than willing to do a number of un-gentlemanly things to her," Kol beamed.

_Without hesitation Klaus picked up one of the knives on the table and threw it in Kol's direction, but it hit nothing save for the wall. Kol had darted out of the house at vampire speed before he had a chance to retaliate. _

_Elijah seemed unimpressed by their juvenile bickering as he walked over to the far wall of the room where Kol had been standing and removed the knife from the wall. _

_He left the room immediately following that to avoid an Elijah lecture. He showered first and then preoccupied more of his time by clearing the mess in his room as opposed to having a compelled hired helper do it for him. His sensitized smell still picked up their lingering scent of their passion and sweat in his bedroom, and he couldn't help but smile to himself as he made his bed. _

_When he wasn't thinking about the unspeakable things he wanted to do to her body, he was wondering what kind of day she was having in the shark tank like atmosphere of her high school. Either her friends were blatantly confronting her again, or they were going through the passive-aggressive motions. He had attempted to text her, but he soon discovered that she had left her cell phone behind with him. That was unsettling to him, but he disregarded it. _

_The rest of the afternoon he spent downstairs in his study working on another painting. He had asked Caroline yesterday if she would pose for him so he could paint her, but she refused his request with a shy smirk. He knew he would get her to come around eventually. _

_Until then, with his spirits lifted, the themes of his paintings were lifted as well. This painting he would entitle __Lovers in the Meadow__ even though it was far from being complete. _

_An hour or so into his work, he heard Elijah enter the room and he waited for Elijah to bring up his altercation with Kol. _

"You would do well not to take Kol so seriously, Niklaus," Elijah advised. "You know he is only trying to push your buttons."

_He finished a few more brush strokes before setting his paintbrush down to acknowledge Elijah. _

"Brother, he purposely incites me. If it's a reaction he wants, then a reaction he shall get," he declared. "I will not tolerate his blatant disrespect. The joke has gone far enough. He harassed Caroline the other evening, he invades her privacy, he makes her uncomfortable," he complained.

_Elijah smiled. _

"Does that amuse you?" he asked his brother.

_Elijah shrugged nonchalantly. _

"Not at all; forgive me; it is simply refreshing to see this side of you," Elijah confessed.

_His eyebrow arched at Elijah as he took a seat at the desk and placed a newspaper on its surface. _

"What side of me?" he asked.

"Your humanity; leaping to defend someone other than yourself," Elijah clarified.

_He was tempted to feel offended by Elijah's insinuation that he was self-absorbed, but a part of him knew that it had been true. _

_He smirked at his brother. _

"Well I'm not inclined to make a habit out of it," he mused.

"Perhaps then an exception for Caroline?" Elijah suggested.

"Indeed," he responded almost shyly as he resumed painting.

"So judging by the fact that you've been holed up in your bedroom for the past day, I suppose it is safe to assume that your conversation with Caroline following my departure went well?" Elijah asked.

_He nodded, uninterested in providing Elijah with every detail – particularly the naughtier bits. _

"And did you heed my advice?" his brother inquired further.

"Rest assured Elijah I told Caroline what she needed to hear," he replied.

"I can only hope that it was genuine," Elijah said.

"It was," he said simply, beginning to become agitated with Elijah's inquiry.

_Silence soon came between them and he continued painting while he waited for Elijah to continue with his mental list of questions. _

"So what are your plans now Niklaus?" Elijah wondered. "I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before the Council figures out you're not dead..." he noted.

_Setting his brush down once more he clasped his hands together decidedly as he looked at Elijah. _

"I think it would be in all of our best interests if we got the hell out of this town. I was thinking I'd take Caroline to New York, or perhaps to our manor outside of London," he answered.

"London may not be a wise choice since I am fairly certain Kol said that's where he was headed next," Elijah informed him.

_He scoffed. _

"Well, nevertheless, I want to leave before my cover is blown," he stated.

_A look of concern crossed Elijah's face. _

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Have you discussed this with our sister or Caroline?" Elijah questioned. "I don't think Rebekah will want to leave until she has completed her studies, and it was my impression that Caroline felt similarly," Elijah explained.

_He hadn't really thought about what Caroline might want. Being that she was still so firmly attached to her human life, he knew that milestones like prom and graduation were important to her. His only focus was that she had agreed to follow him when he left Mystic Falls, but they had never discussed a specific timeline over the previous day. They had been much too preoccupied with each other. _

"I'll take it up with Caroline, but I think our safety is paramount," he asserted.

_Elijah nodded in agreement. _

_While he wasn't afraid of the Council itself from a physical threat standpoint, he knew the humans who comprised the group were malicious. He was most concerned about Caroline._

_He returned to his painting when Elijah began to scan the Mystic Falls newspaper. _

"Tell me brother, what boring news does Mystic Falls have to report today?" he wondered sarcastically.

_At first Elijah chuckled at his comment but he soon fell suspiciously quiet behind him. _

"Actually, it says that Tyler Lockwood was attacked last night outside of the Grill..." Elijah informed him.

* * *

_She pulled up in the school parking lot in Klaus's black SUV. It was the only relatively indiscriminate vehicle out of his entire collection. She was tempted to drive the bright red Ferrari but the last thing she felt like doing was drawing more attention. _

_Before she got out of the car she gave herself a mini pep talk. She could do this. She could go to school and carry on like normal as if the direction of her life and the people in it had not recently and drastically changed. She had to do this. Hopefully her friends would come around. _

_First period was math with Matt, Bonnie, and Tyler. After she apologized to the teacher profusely – she was extremely late– she took her regular seat behind Bonnie and in between Matt and Tyler. _

_Bonnie's eyes alone looked like they could cut like a knife as they met hers. _

_She forced a faint smile, hoping Bonnie would warm up to her, but the disgusted stare on her face remained. _

_Matt eyed her solemnly and she was just about to whisper a hi to him believing it to be appropriate, but he turned away and looked down at his textbook. _

_Turning to Tyler's seat, she noticed he was absent. _

_The class continued with the math lesson and then was followed by a half hour of independent study time to work on questions from the textbook. She couldn't concentrate on any of it. The only other contact she had with either Matt or Bonnie was when Bonnie passed her back a sheet of extra problems the teacher had assigned for homework. She thanked Bonnie but she said nothing in return. _

_When the bell rang Bonnie shot up from her seat and scurried out of the classroom before she even had a chance to say anything. _

_She sighed in frustration as she gathered up her things. Matt was still at his desk doing the same. She looked over at him and he looked at her. It was then that she noticed a bruise on the other side of his face. _

"Hey," she barely squeaked out.

_He nodded, but left the room before she could utter another sentence or ask him about what happened to his face. _

_The next period was biology which she shared with none of her former close friends so it gave her a chance to relax and be herself. _

_It was the next class she was worried about; English. She shared that class with Stefan, Elena, and Tyler. She arrived to the classroom early so it would be Elena, Stefan, and Tyler who would have to be confronted with her instead of the other way around. It was then that she had the inclination to check her phone for texts – perhaps from Klaus or her mother – but as she looked through her things she soon realized she had forgotten her phone at Klaus's. _

_She groaned out loud causing some of the other students in the room to give her awkward stares. _

_Elena and Stefan soon entered the room together. Stefan was behind Elena with his hand on the small of her back. _

_When Elena noticed her she froze and turned towards Stefan, as if she was actually debating whether or not to attend the class. _

_It was like she had some disease that none of her supposed friends wanted to contract. _

_She was tempted to listen in on Elena's conversation with Stefan but in an effort not to extend her guilt any further, she just watched passively from the opposite corner of the room. _

_Whatever Stefan had said to Elena was enough to convince her to stay, and she turned back for the desks and took her usual spot next to Stefan a row over from her. _

_Unlike Bonnie and Matt, Elena completely avoided all eye contact with her. _

_Stefan on the other hand was more forgiving. When Elena was preoccupied with her things, he took a moment to look her way. _

_Obviously Elena had filled Stefan in on all the gory details so she didn't read too much into his glance. _

_She gave him a conciliatory smile, hoping that her friendship with him would somehow be the eventual key to reconnecting with Elena and her other friends. _

_Again, Tyler was a no-show and she no longer chalked up his absence to sleeping in. Maybe he was just skipping all the classes he shared with her to avoid her, she thought. _

_After English it was lunchtime as well as Prom Committee. She really wasn't interested in prom at this point, but she was actually thankful for the meeting – even if Rebekah would be there – she really didn't feel like eating in the cafeteria by herself. _

_She entered the meeting room to find Rebekah already there with a chipper smile on her face. _

"Caroline, so glad you could pry yourself away from my brother's bed to attend the meeting, in my clothes no less," Rebekah chided with a smirk.

_As her face flushed slightly she scoffed and took one of the pieces of paper Rebekah handed to her, disregarding it and Rebekah's snarky comment. _

"I bet today has been interesting for you," Rebekah said. "Seeing as everyone you care about here hates you. It seems I was right about Elena and Bonnie – they have turned their backs on you."

_She frowned. _

"Well I guess I know how it feels to be you," she retorted. "Nobody likes you either."

_Rebekah's jaw clenched. _

_Admittedly, she did know how it felt to be Rebekah now and it was terrible. _

"That was quite the scene the other night at the Founder's Hall," Rebekah pointed out.

_Caroline rolled her eyes as she tried to read the brainstormed list of ideas Rebekah had prepared. _

"I'm glad you could find entertainment in my misery," she said sarcastically.

"You must at least be happy to know Nik is alive," Rebekah continued.

_She nodded. _

"Of course I am," she agreed. "As I'm sure you are."

_Rebekah shrugged. _

"Nik and I are kind of on the outs," Rebekah explained.

"He told me what you did to the leftover doppelganger blood he had," she informed Rebekah.

_Rebekah scoffed and started to go through one of her binders. _

"I suppose you're here to scold me for Nik," Rebekah remarked.

_She shook her head. _

"Actually, I stuck up for you," she admitted, laughing at how ridiculous it sounded.

_Rebekah looked up at her a little surprised. _

"I basically told him you were justified to be upset with him after keeping the fact he was alive from you and Elijah; that I was mad he hadn't told me either. And I so much as said that I was happy you destroyed the blood," she elaborated.

_She could see a little smirk begin to form at the corners of Rebekah's lips. _

"And did Nik try to snap your neck in retaliation?" Rebekah asked.

_Rebekah's comment bewildered her a little bit. Obviously when Klaus had said he and Rebekah had a little sibling dispute, that's what he had meant. It unnerved her a little. _

"No..." she replied.

_She could almost see a hint of jealousy cross Rebekah's features as she rolled her eyes. _

"Well it seems as though you are becoming my brother's little weakness," Rebekah mused. "So now that Elena is no longer an issue, what now? You and Nik go riding off into the sunset?" she muttered.

_She shrugged at Rebekah's question. _

_It was really beginning to sink in for her just how serious this was; how serious they were. Leaving with Klaus meant eternity, no less. It was a commitment. _

"I'd like to finish high school and make amends with my friends; but when your brother decides to leave, I'm going with him," she answered.

_Proclaiming it to someone else other than Klaus; being able to admit it, gave her a sense of comfort. _

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Caroline," Rebekah warned. "Nik is a handful."

_She nodded. _

_Without warning, Rebekah lunged at her and slammed her against one of the blackboards. _

"Let me make myself clear. If you ever, ever, hurt my brother, not only will you have to deal with Niklaus's wrath, but mine as well. Do you understand?" Rebekah threatened.

_She nodded slightly as Rebekah's fingers dug into her neck. _

"Excellent," Rebekah smiled brightly, releasing her from her grasp.

_Falling away from the wall, she soothed her neck with her hands. She watched apprehensively as Rebekah returned to her papers as if her little outburst had never happened. _

_She thought about confronting Rebekah, but she knew it was a losing battle. _

_Rebekah and Klaus may have been on the outs, but she admired the strength of their bond. _

_While she was still angry at Rebekah over what she did to Elena and Matt, she almost understood where Rebekah had been coming from. _

_She knew she would have to be more conciliatory towards Rebekah if she was going to be with Klaus. All her friends hated her and she didn't need Rebekah of all people on that list too. _

_A change of topic was in order. _

"So congrats on being nominated for Miss Mystic," she spoke up, hoping her compliment sounded sincere enough.

_The grin forming on Rebekah's lips as she mentioned Miss Mystic was unmistakeable. Sometimes she had to remind herself that in many ways, Rebekah was still a girl at heart. _

"Thanks," Rebekah replied, instantly lightening the tension between them.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, hoping to keep Rebekah's attention off of more controversial topics.

_Rebekah shrugged. _

"I have a lot of work and volunteering to do in the next couple of months if the committee is going to take me seriously," she admitted.

_She nodded in agreement and things quickly went silent for a few moments. _

"Actually...I...uhm...I was wondering if you could give me some advice, seeing as you've been through it," Rebekah said, as though she was swallowing her pride. "Just with the interview process," she finished.

_While it was flattering to be asked for help – particularly by one of Klaus's siblings – a part of her still loathed the idea of helping Rebekah with anything. _

_But she knew it would put her further in Rebekah's favour and get her off of her back. _

"I figure you probably owe me since you borrowed my clothes without asking," Rebekah smirked.

_She rolled her eyes before relenting with a sigh. _

"I guess I could help you," she said with a hint of reluctance.

_Did she really want Rebekah Mikaelson to take the title of Miss Mystic Falls from her? _

_Rebekah smiled sweetly. _

"Good and when you're done with my clothes kindly wash them and return them to me," Rebekah practically ordered.

_Not wanting to create more tension, she simply nodded before turning her attention back to the paper Rebekah had handed her earlier. _

"So is this the list of brainstormed ideas for prom?" she asked, carrying on with the main concern of the meeting as a few other committee members came through the door.

_Rebekah nodded. _

"Everyone brainstormed a few ideas via Facebook and I just put the best ones together, but I've already decided the theme of the prom," Rebekah stated bluntly.

_Her eyebrows rose with Rebekah's bold admission. _

"Oh? Then what's the point of the meeting?" she asked.

"Execution," Rebekah said simply. "We don't have time to waste debating the theme. The date is just around the corner," she reminded her.

_She crossed her arms, unimpressed with Rebekah's ability to take over yet another high school event that she was supposed to have control over. _

"So what's the theme then?" she wondered.

"Eighteenth-Century Elegance," Rebekah beamed. "Seeing as I missed the decade dance and there's no time left on the school calendar for another, I decided we would focus prom on one of my favourite centuries," she explained.

_She scoffed. _

"Well it's not like we could do the twentieth then seeing as you missed most of it," she mocked under her breath.

_Rebekah's eyes narrowed and she could tell that she had heard her, but she did nothing with the rest of the committee members filing in. _

_And just like that, a friendly moment between them turned sour. She had a feeling her relationship with Rebekah would be defined by bittersweet moments for the rest of eternity. _

_The rest of the day moved along at a snail's pace. She considered skipping class a few times, but she didn't want anyone thinking they had gotten the better of her._

_By the time the final bell rang, signalling the end of the day, she bolted to her locker to collect her things, and eagerly headed for Klaus's car. _

_She needed to go home; she needed to get out of Rebekah's clothes, she needed a shower, she needed to feed; she needed the comfort of her bedroom. _

_At the same time, she dreaded going there; her mom would more than likely have something to say about her absence. _

_After piling some homework into the backseat of the vehicle she slammed the door shut only to be confronted and surprised by an intrigued Stefan Salvatore standing behind it._

"Stefan," she exhaled. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he said plainly. "You looked like you were in a hurry. I wanted to catch you before you left," he explained.

_She glared expectantly at him. _

"Look Stefan, I'm sure Elena filled you in on everything that happened the other night, and I know your reaction is probably the same as everybody else's, so can we please just skip the guilt trip?" she requested sternly. "This whole day has been a guilt trip," she muttered.

_Stefan nodded. _

"I'm not here to guilt trip you," he reassured her.

"Good," she replied.

"I see Klaus lent you his SUV..." Stefan remarked casually. "So what's the deal between you two? Are you his girlfriend now?" Stefan asked.

_She frowned at the tone of his questions. _

_Stefan held up his hands innocently. _

"I'm serious Caroline. I'm not trying to mock you. I'm just trying to figure out where you stand; where Klaus stands. Elena really didn't tell me much, aside from what happened that the Founder's Hall," he clarified.

_She leaned against the body of the car and looked away from Stefan in annoyance. Regardless of his promise of impartiality, she could feel his judgement already. It gave her no desire to respond to him, but deep down she wanted to believe that his approach was a good sign; that she still had a chance with her friends. In an instant she could feel herself becoming emotional. _

"I love him, Stefan," she admitted freely. "I love, Klaus," she said almost helplessly as her cheek rested against the cool glass window to look at him.

_She scoffed and looked away as she saw Stefan's perplexed reaction. _

"Listen, I know what I did to Tyler was wrong. I'm sorry; I'll be sorry for that for the rest of my life. I'm sorry for lying to everyone," she said. "But I'm not going to apologize for my feelings," she told him defensively. "My feelings may be uncomfortable and inconvenient for you and everyone else, but that doesn't mean they're wrong," she argued shakily.

"You're right," Stefan conceded reluctantly.

_She looked at him a little dumfounded by his reply, but she felt the need to go on. _

"I tried, Stefan. I tried so hard to ignore Klaus and ignore my feelings for everyone's sakes. I never wanted to feel the way I do about him. If it was as easy as denying my feelings and moving on, don't you think I would have done that? It would have made my life so much easier," she explained.

_Stefan shrugged. _

"Well you can acknowledge your feelings without acting upon them," he proposed.

_Snarling at his comment she glared at him. _

"Come on Stefan, you know how ridiculous that sounds. You knew that by continuing on with Elena you'd be causing problems for her, you, everyone, and yet you still did. You know how miserable Damon is now that he's acknowledged his feelings for Elena and he can't act on them," she argued.

_She noted Stefan flinch at her mention of Damon. _

"Don't try to sell me on a circumstance that is neither preferable or one you yourself can bear to live under," she scolded. "You guys have every right to hate me for what I did to Tyler, but I honestly get the impression from everyone that you're madder about who I chose to cheat on Tyler with rather than the fact I cheated," she complained.

_Stefan sighed while his eyes wandered searchingly before returning to her intense stare. _

"I guess we're all just trying to figure out how you could love somebody as cold-hearted and calculating as Klaus, Caroline," Stefan acknowledged. "He's caused so much pain and suffering for you and all of your friends; me," he listed specifically.

_Her brows furrowed at Stefan as she grew more frustrated. _

"That's only one side of him though, Stefan," she groveled, "Your bias; your hatred for him only allows you to see that one side. There's another side to him; his humanity."

_Stefan stood there contemplating her words. _

"I mean, if anyone should know about individual complexities Stefan it's you. Your past is just as ruthless as Klaus's, and yet everyone acknowledges the good in you," she said further. "Should Elena not love you because of your past?" she wondered.

_The sympathetic look on his face suggested to her that she was slowly getting through to him; she was making progress. _

"I don't condone the terrible things that Klaus has done, but I understand it. I understand him. I love him, and I hate feeling like I have to choose between him and my friends," she said weakly, tears forming in her eyes as she imagined the possibility. "But you don't know how it feels to never be someone's first choice and then to finally find someone who only wants you. He loves me, and I don't want to have to sacrifice that," she cried.

_Before she knew what was happening, she found herself carefully confined by Stefan's arms as he brought her into a small hug. _

"While I still have my reservations about Klaus, I really want to give you the benefit of the doubt," Stefan admitted. "But I think it will take a while for Elena and everyone else to come around," he added.

_She nodded. _

"I know."

"I'll try and talk to Elena, but she's been having a rough go of it lately in terms of her transition, so I don't want to add more stress," Stefan said.

"I understand," she replied.

_She wanted to ask Stefan about Elena, but she felt like that might be taking things too far too soon. _

_They stood there silently for a few seconds as though Stefan was trying to recall another reason for his initial approach. _

"So judging by your faith in Klaus, I would assume he didn't have anything to do with the attack on Tyler and Matt then?" Stefan asked.

_Her face quickly contorted into one of confusion. _

"What? What attack!?" she questioned dumbfounded. "No one told me!" she said exasperated.

_Stefan seemed taken aback that she had not heard the latest news. She supposed being kept in the dark is what she got for keeping her friends in the dark. _

"I thought someone would have said something to you. Last night Tyler was attacked outside the Grill. He was more than drunk, so he doesn't remember much, but he recalls feeling paralyzed and he thinks whoever attacked him stole his werewolf venom. Matt tried to intervene, but was basically tossed across the alley," Stefan told her. "There were a few witnesses to the end of the attack so Tyler's mom has him in the hospital to recover from his injuries."

_She gasped at this latest news. _

"Oh my god," she reacted, searching for a possible explanation. "If Klaus was behind the attack why would he take Tyler's werewolf venom when he has his own?" she wondered.

"That's what I said to everyone," Stefan agreed. "I don't think it was Klaus."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: You all are fantastically ridiculous. I mean that in a very good way. I appreciate everyone who has followed, favourited, and reviewed this fan-fiction. **

**Honestly, I probably could have divided this chapter into two, but I decided to push on and give you one big chapter instead. I hope my update eases the pain of waiting another week for a new TVD episode. I'm dying to see 4x07!  
**

**You might hate me a little by the end of this chapter, but it's where my inspiration took me. **

**As usual, ignore any missed errors and please pass me along a review with your thoughts. It's always nice to hear from you!**

* * *

_She stepped into the hospital reluctantly. With every step she wanted to turn around, but she felt like she needed to do this. She needed to check in with Tyler and make sure he was okay. She needed to find out what happened. _

_Worst case scenario he would throw her out of his room, best case scenario he would speak to her. _

_The last time she was in this hospital it was to meet Stefan and Damon with Elena's body and to pick up Matt after the accident on Wickery Bridge. She hated this place; it was filled with so many bad memories. _

_After the nurse refused to release Tyler's room number to non-family members, she compelled it out of her and headed for the elevators. _

_Tyler was on the same floor Matt had been on. _

_Anxiously, she approached Tyler's room. _

_She could hear laughter from inside the room. It sounded like Tyler's, his mom's, and another mystery girl. _

_The door was open so she slowly stepped into the entrance to make herself known. _

_Mrs. Lockwood was at the foot of Tyler's bed while a girl she had never met before was sitting on the edge of the bed by Tyler's legs. _

_As all three of them turned to look at her she felt sick to her stomach instantly. Suddenly she felt like she was intruding; like she was a stranger. It's funny how quickly things change. _

_Tyler was glaring at her and Mrs. Lockwood was giving her a remorseful but stern look. The mystery girl was eyeing her as if she was the scum of the earth. _

"Hi," she said to the three, barely audible. "I heard about what happened. I wanted to come by and check in."

"Caroline," Mrs. Lockwood said, "I don't think Tyler is up for anymore visitors."

_Tyler was a hybrid; there was nothing seriously wrong with him. His hospital visit was just a show for the media. Nonetheless, she smiled faintly and nodded, knowing Mrs. Lockwood was merely trying to defend her son. _

"Mom, it's alright," Tyler said, garnering a glare from the mystery girl in his direction.

_His mom nodded and stepped past her into the hallway. He seemed to give a look of reassurance to the mystery girl and she followed in his mom's direction. _

"Come to rub salt in his wounds?" the mystery girl chided as she walked by.

_Her brows furrowed and she scoffed in the girl's direction before turning back for Tyler. _

_Tyler shrugged from the bed. _

"Is she right? Is that why you're here?" he asked indignantly.

_She shook her head and moved closer to the bed. _

"Of course not," she said sincerely. "I wanted to see how you were; find out what happened. Stefan seemed concerned," she added. "And p.s. who is she?"

"Her name's Hayley. She helped me when I was in the Appalachians," he revealed

_This was the first she had heard about this Hayley person and it caught her off guard. _

"You never mentioned her," she stated.

"I guess it slipped my mind," he said, the malice in his voice clearly referencing her secrets kept from him.

_She nodded plainly, completely at a loss for words. Her indiscretions effectively prevented her from confronting him about Hayley. She had no right. Regardless, she still felt hurt. _

"So what? Too busy with Klaus to stop by last night?" he said sourly.

_She scoffed. _

"I had no idea what happened. It's not like anybody came rushing to inform me," she said defensively.

"I wonder why," Tyler spewed sarcasm.

_She was beginning to lose control of her emotions at this point. Tyler was getting the better of her; her guilt was getting the better of her. _

"Tyler, I'm sorry for what happened. I will always feel horrible for what I did. I know I hurt you. I'm sorry for embarrassing you; I never wanted you to find out like that. I swear I was going to tell you everything that night. What more can I say to make things less hostile? What can I do? If you want me to leave and never speak to you again, then I will," she listed.

_He folded his arms over his chest and looked down at his hospital bracelet in contemplation. _

_She couldn't tell if her little tangent made things better or worse between them. She was never expecting to be best friends with him again, but she just wanted things to be civil between them. _

"Look, I'm just here to see if you're alright and to find out what happened. I still care about you and our friends even if it doesn't seem like that," she said almost pleadingly.

_He glared at her. _

"Maybe you should ask your boyfriend Klaus what happened?" he retorted.

_She sighed and debated about leaving the room, but ultimately decided to take his comments in stride. He was hurting. She had made him hurt. She deserved remarks like that from him. _

"Klaus didn't have anything to do with this," she said confidently. "Stefan said the attacker took your venom; why would Klaus send someone in to do that if he has venom of his own?" she countered.

_He knew she had raised a valid point. _

"Besides, Klaus has no motive for fighting you - you have more motive than he does - and even if he did want to rough you up, he wouldn't send in one of his lackeys to do it for him," she explained.

_Again, she could tell that he knew she brought up another good point. _

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't Klaus who was behind it," he relented.

"What did he look like? Did he say anything to you?" she inquired.

_He shrugged. _

"I was really drunk. Matt took me outside to cool off since he didn't want the Grill getting busted for underage drinking. This guy came up from behind me and literally paralyzed me and then injected a needle into my gum. Matt tried to push him off but this guy just threw him across the alley like a rag doll. My vision was blurry but he was bald, dark-skinned, he had some facial hair," Tyler described.

"Do you think he was supernatural?" she asked.

"He definitely wasn't a vampire or a werewolf...or both, I could smell his blood," Tyler said, "but there's no way an average human could just overpower a hybrid and throw a quarterback across an alley," he concluded.

"So I guess the question is why would he want your venom? What benefit would it be to him?" she wondered.

"Well it's fatal to vampires; maybe he has a grudge with one?" Tyler proposed.

_She nodded. _

"But how did he know to come after you?" she thought.

_He shook his head. _

"He has to know what the Council knows," Tyler suggested.

- "Maybe he's in with the Council?" she added.

_Before their conversation could go any further, Hayley interrupted their brainstorming session. _

"Tyler, the police are here to question you," she informed them.

_Tyler sighed. _

_She took this as her cue to leave. _

"Get better; I'll see you at school," she said to Tyler as one of the officers who worked under her mother stepped into the room.

_Tyler said nothing, obviously having returned to his bitter state of mind. _

_She frowned and turned for the exit, bumping shoulders unintentionally with Hayley as she did. _

_Hayley scoffed behind her but she ignored it. _

_Once in the hall, she was met by her mother who was staring daggers in her direction. _

"Caroline Forbes, where have you been?" her mother asked sternly under her breath so Mrs. Lockwood wouldn't overhear. "Look, from what I understand by your text message, you hit a rough patch with Tyler the other night. I gave you your space. But that doesn't give you the right to disappear for almost two days. I've been trying to call you all day," she chastised as she pulled her aside by the arm, out of earshot from a nosey Mrs. Lockwood.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I left my cell phone at Klaus's..."

- "Klaus? What the hell were you doing with him? I thought he was dead?" her mother questioned.

_Even though she knew she could physically overpower her mother, her mother's scorn still terrified the hell out of her. _

"Mom, it's a long story, can we please talk about this later?" she requested.

"Fine," he mother agreed. "I have a couple more hours left of my shift. You better be at home when I get there."

_She nodded, and with that her mother stepped into Tyler's room. _

_Turning for the elevators, Mrs. Lockwood stopped her before she could make her escape. _

"Listen, I don't know what you did to my son – he won't talk to me about it – but I think it's best if you keep your distance from him. Seeing you makes him upset. He doesn't need that right now," Mrs. Lockwood explained.

_She was surprised by Mrs. Lockwood's confrontation_

"It wasn't my intention to make him upset Mrs. Lockwood, I was just concerned about him," she said.

_Tyler's mom mustered her best bitchy smile. _

"Well he's fine. He has me, and he has his friend Hayley," Mrs. Lockwood assured her.

_She scowled under her breath. _

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"I hope this break-up between you and Tyler won't affect our working relationship; we have a lot to do in the next month for Miss Mystic. I trust you can be professional?" Mrs. Lockwood inquired

_She nodded hesitantly, quickly covering up her reluctance with a fake smile. _

"Of course Mrs. Lockwood," she replied, before quickly turning to leave.

_At this point she wished she could use her vampire speed. She couldn't get out of there any sooner. _

_As the glass sliding doors to the hospital opened to release her, she was confronted by Damon's blue car parked in front of her – in a designated parking spot for the disabled no less. _

_She glanced around the parking lot for any sign of him, and hurried quickly for Klaus's car. The last thing she wanted was to talk to Damon. _

"Vampire Barbie, where's Hybrid Ken?" Damon called after her.

_Knowing a confrontation between them was unavoidable now that he had spotted her, she turned on her heels to see Damon in a wheelchair by his car, hardly being discreet about the fact that he was sipping from a blood bag like it was a juice box. _

_She crossed her arms in annoyance and rolled her eyes. _

"I'm sure there's someone around here who actually needs that parking spot and wheelchair Damon," she chastised him.

_He smirked gingerly as his lips pursed around the blood bag sucking out the final drops before tossing the bag aside on the pavement. _

_Thrusting his hands forwards on the wheels, he rolled quickly towards her and jumped out of the chair. _

"So you never answered my question? Where's Hybrid Ken, back at the Barbie dream house?" he snickered.

_She quickly decided against this confrontation. Scoffing, she started back for Klaus's car, eager to go home. _

"Elena told me everything. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to see it all go down. I can just picture the look on wolf-boy's face," he sneered. "I really didn't think you had it in you blondie," he said, as if he was impressed with her indiscretion.

_He really wasn't impressed; he was just trying to get to her. _

"I shoulda known something was going on between you two just by the way you were acting around each other that day at the Grill when we sent you with him to investigate," he said. "I'm sure you just loved that," he mused.

_She spun around to face him. _

"Look Damon, just say what you came to say, or lay off. The last person I need to take this shit from is you," she hissed.

_His eyes widened in surprise by her outburst and he gave her a small smirk. He held up his hands defensively._

"I actually came here to see Lockwood; trying to figure out what happened last night," he said.

"Well I already talked to him. My mom and another officer are talking to him now," she told him.

_He laughed. _

"He actually talked to you? Wow," he replied. "So what did he say?" Damon questioned.

_She shrugged. _

"He was drunk; he doesn't remember much. The guy who attacked him was dark-skinned, facial hair, bald. Tyler said he was human; he paralyzed Tyler with something and then took his venom," she revealed.

_Damon looked past her pensively for a few moments. _

"So what would a human want with wolf venom...and how did he know he could get it from Tyler," Damon thought aloud.

"Tyler and I are assuming he has an in with the Council and maybe a grudge against a vampire..." she informed him.

_Damon nodded, still seemingly unconvinced. _

"Why would the Council give up info on Tyler when they're supposed to be on good terms with you two?" Damon wondered. "Maybe they really aren't? Maybe they know about Klaus's missing body?" he suggested. "Either way, this guy sounds like bad news. You sure Klaus didn't have anything to do with it?" he asked.

_She groaned aloud as she began to fiddle with the key to the car, ready to leave at any second. _

"For the third time today, no, Klaus didn't have anything to do with it," she scowled. "Why would Klaus take Tyler's venom, when he already has an abundant supply of his own?" she retorted.

_Damon's eyebrows rose and his lips bunched together as if to acknowledge her point. _

"So, basically all we know is that there's some human out there who has the capability of paralyzing hybrids and has a supply of wolf venom that could kill us," he summarized.

_She nodded. _

"Perfect," Damon sighed.

"So what should we do?" she asked.

_Damon rolled his eyes before grabbing her shoulders possessively. _

_She went rigid__,__ and for the first time in a long while Damon frightened her. _

"I should kill you for betraying Elena," he hissed. "But I know somewhere deep down within Elena's annoying lingering humanity she still cares about you," he admitted before letting her go. "But, _We're_ not gonna do anything. I'll handle this," he assured her.

_She rubbed her arms where Damon's hands had been__,__ and for a moment it was as though he felt sorry. _

"And I'm sure if someone gets attacked with this venom, you'll have an opportunity to redeem yourself by convincing Hybrid Ken to give up his goods and make a little blood donation," Damon suggested.

_She sneered at him, even though he had a point. If she could help them in anyway get to the bottom of this peculiar attack, she had a chance for redemption. _

"Anything else?" she asked sarcastically.

_He shrugged. _

"I guess I'm concerned about you..." he relented coldly.

_Her eyebrow arched in sincere disbelief. _

"Since when have you ever been concerned about me?" she asked bitterly.

_He smirked _

_She supposed his concern began where his genuine feelings for Elena began, but she said nothing. _

"I mean, I never was the biggest fan of wolf...hybrid-boy, but Klaus? Really? This guy has been like the bane of our existence for the past year. He killed Elena; he wanted to use her as a human blood bag. Since when did those become attractive qualities?" he mused. "Do you really think he has genuine feelings for you?" he asked with a critical tone.

_She scoffed and turned for the car, uninterested in hearing Damon's ridiculous lecture. _

_He grabbed her by the arm. _

"I'm serious," he hissed.

"Let go of me," she growled, using her vampire strength to step out of his grasp.

"Why would you question that, Damon? Because no guy could ever willingly have genuine feelings for me? Because they're all out to use and abuse me, like you?" she spat.

_He let go of her instantly. _

"You talk about killing me for betraying Elena...why didn't anyone threaten Elena for betraying me!?" she demanded. "You abused me, physically, mentally, emotionally. You raped me," she breathed, tears forming in her eyes.

_That had been the first time she had ever admitted that to herself so decisively. _

_Damon looked dumbfounded and almost seemed ready to say something, but she interrupted him again. _

"You raped me," she repeated, as if it was just beginning to sink in. "Sure, I approached you on my own free will, but you compelled me and took advantage," she argued. "And let's not forget the times you were ready to kill me."

_She was so angry she could almost feel the remaining blood in her system pumping through her veins. _

"And yet, Elena developed feelings for you and you developed feelings for her, and I never once called Elena out for betraying me!" she cried. "I saw past what you did to me and acknowledged your genuine feelings for her. And now that the tables are turned, no one cares that I cheated on Tyler, you only care about the fact that it was with Klaus; that I betrayed you all for having feelings for him," she explained.

_For once, Damon was speechless. _

"Yes I have feelings for Klaus. Despite everything else he's done, when Tyler was off breaking the sire bond and everyone else was concerned about Elena, he listened to me; he was there after my dad died. He saved my life, in so many ways. And you know what? I was ready to give that all up for Elena. When Klaus was still after Elena for her blood, I refused him. I did that for Elena," she stated. "Oh, and before you claim that a 'monster' like Klaus is incapable of genuine feelings, or criticize my feelings for him, I suggest you and Elena take a good look in the mirror, Damon," she berated.

_She gasped for breath and spun back around for the car only to find Klaus standing there behind her. _

_Relief overcame her instantly and she fell against his chest, disregarding Klaus's earlier discomfort with their open display of affection, or the fact that Damon was standing behind her. _

_She closed her eyes and clenched the edges of his open jacket as she steadied her breathing with his calming familiar scent. _

_Klaus wrapped an arm around her. _

"It's okay, love. Get in the car," he whispered to her.

_She looked up at him to see his eyes fixed on Damon. _

_Letting go of her, Klaus bolted towards Damon; a malevolent look spread across his face. _

"Hybrid Ken, so good to see you alive and well," Damon said in a constrained voice as Klaus's hands held him tightly by the neck.

"I can't say the feeling is mutual," Klaus hissed. "I always knew you were a pathetic excuse for a vampire," he muttered with a clenched jaw. "This little enlightening conversation that I interrupted solidifies my suspicions beautifully."

_Shivers ran down her arms at the tone of Klaus's voice. _

_He flung Damon against his SUV and pinned him up against the back door, shielding his assault from the plain view of anyone passing by. _

_Klaus's fist connected with Damon's jaw before she even had time to blink. The force of the hit sent Damon onto his knees by the car's back tire. _

"Klaus," she said hesitantly, glancing around the parking lot self-consciously.

_He looked at her over his shoulder. _

"Sweetheart, I told you to get in the car," he said to her.

_She stepped back as if to go for the passenger door, but she stopped when Klaus's foot connected with Damon's stomach. _

_Damon released a loud yelp and Klaus laughed in response. _

_Admittedly, seeing Damon be handed a taste of his own medicine was thrilling to her; seeing Klaus be the one to give him that taste even more so, but she knew she could only let Klaus take this so far. Klaus killing Damon here in the Mystic Falls hospital parking lot would do nothing for her cause. Despite everything, these people were still her friends and she still wanted to resolve their issues. _

"How does it feel mate?" Klaus snickered as he picked Damon up by the collar of his jacket. "Perhaps I should call in one of my hybrid pals to really take _advantage_ of the situation, hmm?" Klaus said suggestively.

_Damon's eyes widened. _

"I don't think that's necessary," Damon squeaked out.

_She had never seen Damon this weak before with her own eyes. _

"You know...after all the trouble you've caused me, what with all your attempts to kill me and now _this__,_ I would love nothing more than to dig my fingertips into your chest," Klaus threatened, positioning his fingers over Damon's heart.

He pushed his fingers into the material of Damon's shirt which garnered a painful groan from Damon.

"...and press them right against your heart," Klaus continued, "to rip that waste of an organ from your body."

_Klaus's lips curled into a smile. _

_Damon shrugged. _

"You won't," Damon challenged him, glancing over Klaus's shoulder at her. "Vampire Barbie won't let you. If you kill me, you'll destroy any chance at her salvaging her friendship with Elena," he said confidently.

_Klaus considered Damon's words and smirked. _

"Unfortunately, you have a point," Klaus acknowledged as he removed his fingers slowly from Damon's flesh. "However, the thought of getting to kill you over and over again is much more appealing anyways," he added. "Like this," he said simply, snapping Damon's neck effortlessly.

_She shook with surprise as Damon's limp body collapsed in Klaus's arms._

_After using Damon's jacket to wipe Damon's blood from his hands, he tossed Damon to the pavement. _

_He eyed her cautiously as he approached. _

"Are you alright, love?" he asked, almost in a panic as he clutched her face in his hands, much like he had done after her run in with evil Alaric.

_She nodded reluctantly. _

"I've been looking for you," he said, pulling her cell phone from his pocket. "You forgot this."

_He handed her the phone. _

"I heard about the attack on Tyler at the Grill last night. I thought you might be here..." he explained.

_She gazed down past him at Damon's seemingly lifeless form and Klaus's eyes followed hers. _

_He sighed, realizing her discomfort. _

"Let's leave before he comes to," he muttered.

_Walking her to the passenger side, he opened the door for her and then climbed in the driver's side beside her _

"I need the keys, love," he said, holding out his hand.

_Handing him the keys, she fell back against the seat. _

_Klaus said nothing more as he started the car and reversed from the space. _

_The car rose and fell slightly as they backed up. _

_She noticed a grin form on Klaus's face as he gazed out the window. _

_They had evidently run over a part of Damon, and judging by the look on Klaus's face, it was entirely intentional. _

_She bit her lip and tried hard to maintain a look of disapproval, but she quickly lost the fight and broke into a small smile which she tried to conceal by looking out her own window. _

_Fully expecting Klaus to drive them to his house, she was surprised when they pulled up in front of hers. She was relieved. She wanted her own house; her own bed. She didn't want to be confronted again by Rebekah and Kol. _

_She got out of the car quietly, unsure of what to say to Klaus. _

_Should she thank him? Should she explain what he interrupted? Should she bring up Tyler? _

_Klaus opened the door to the backseat and retrieved her things and she couldn't help but smile on the inside at his thoughtful behaviour. Sometimes this side of Klaus was still a surprise to her. _

_Grabbing her house keys from her coat, she unlocked the door and stepped inside with Klaus following behind. _

_He placed her things on the table in the front hall as she removed her coat and shoes. _

_She noticed a glint of uncertainty and worry in his eyes as he looked up at her. _

"Thank you," she whispered, hoping he knew she wasn't just referring to him carrying her homework.

_He nodded and she tried hard to fight the random tears that were threatening to fall from her cheeks. _

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she laugh-cried.

_She dragged her fingers under her eyes to catch the tearful overflow. _

"It's just been a really hard day," she sighed.

"There's no need to be sorry, love," he assured her, replacing her hands with his thumbs to wipe some more tears from her cheeks.

_She closed her eyes and indulged in the feeling of his hands against her skin. _

_At one point in time not long ago she never thought a moment like this would be possible. She had traded her friends for this and while she didn't have much regret, she knew this moment would have been so much more enjoyable if she had her friends' support. _

_He lightly brushed his lips against hers. _

"Why don't you take a shower; I'll fetch us something to eat," he said.

_She nodded, knowing a shower would help her relax. _

_Taking her things to her room, she picked out some of her own comfortable clothes to wear after her shower. _

_She slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower, undressing as she waited for the water to heat up. _

_The shower felt better than expected. _

_She closed her eyes and tipped her head back underneath the spray of the water, concentrating on nothing but the darkness. Surprisingly no deep thoughts about her day crossed her mind. As the water cascaded down her body so too did the tension she felt. _

_Spending longer revelling under the water than she had anticipated, she quickly washed her hair and body to finish the shower. _

_Once she was changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top she towel dried her hair and tried to make herself look decently presentable for Klaus. _

_When satisfied, she gathered up Rebekah's clothes into a pile and returned to her room. _

_She found Klaus perched atop her bed. He was using one of her textbooks as a hard surface against his legs as he wrote on a piece of paper. _

_Candles and her dim bedroom lamps illuminated the room and she smiled when she noted two plastic cups filled with blood. _

_Klaus smirked. _

"I couldn't find any wine glasses," he explained.

_She shrugged. _

"My mom only takes the wine glasses out of the cabinet in the living room for special occasions; which is like never," she laughed.

_He nodded. _

"You should drink. You haven't fed since yesterday," he said plainly as he focused on the piece of paper.

_While his comment might have seemed overbearing, she was beginning to understand that's how he expressed his concern. _

_As the scent of the blood became more prominent to her she felt her vampire features emerge under her eyes. _

_She reached for the full cup and sipped eagerly at the warm liquid. _

_He was right, she hadn't fed since yesterday and she had nearly met her limit for going without. She would have preferred to drink from him, but it wasn't the time and she wasn't about to ask. _

_Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she placed Rebekah's things beside her and watched him curiously as she drank. _

"What are you doing?" she finally asked.

_He smirked again and held up the piece of paper. _

_It looked like her math assignment. _

_She arched her eyebrows. _

"You enjoy doing my math homework in your spare time?" she mused.

"Well, I figured I owed you one since my last moment of inspiration caused you to have to re-write your entire assignment," he said.

_Taking another sip from the cup, she shook her head. _

"You didn't have to," she told him.

_He shrugged as he set the book and paper down and reached for his own cup. _

"It's mind exercise. Besides, I'm already finished," he bragged.

_She scoffed and set the now empty cup back on the nightstand. _

"Show-off," she scowled.

_Chuckling under his breath he grabbed her playfully and pulled her down onto the bed so that she was underneath of him._

_Her gasp of surprise quickly turned into a laughter that matched his. _

_She beamed up at him. In spite of everything, she couldn't remember a moment when she felt happier. _

_His laughter was soon silenced with the press of his lips to her neck, then to her jaw, and then to her cheek. _

_The very sequence of his actions coupled with earlier events brought back long repressed memories of Damon. _

_Her breathing stilled and he responded accordingly. _

_Lifting his head__,__ he gazed down at her with concern as if her body language was an open book to him. _

_He propped himself up beside her with his arm while his eyes avoided hers and his fingertips etched a pattern on her arm. _

_She could tell by his distant expression that he was deep in thought, likely ruminating about the confrontation with Damon; she could almost feel his affliction. _

"You never told me about, Damon," he said quietly. "You and Damon," he added lowly.

_Sighing, she looked away from him and up at the ceiling. _

_Damon was not something she had ever talked much about. Once her memories came flooding back to her after turning there really wasn't really time to deal with it. She had barely acknowledged the events with Damon to herself let alone to anyone else. _

"I guess I just assumed you knew. You knew I was Miss Mystic Falls," she pointed out anxiously.

"Well that was general public knowledge. You and Damon, however..." he trailed off.

_She shrugged against her pillows. _

"It was nothing," she said, looking away from him at her window.

_He turned her back towards him. _

"It didn't sound like nothing, sweetheart," he said, a hint of bitter anger under his breath.

_She bit her lip as her eyes welled up with water. _

_There was a painful silence between them as she prepared herself to tell him and he prepared himself to listen. _

"It was when he first came to Mystic Falls..." she started. "He was pissed that Stefan got to Elena first, and I was the insecure teenage girl who was pissed that Elena was someone's first choice yet again," she sighed. "He took advantage of that to get to Stefan and Elena..." she paused, debating about whether or not she would elaborate as to what 'took advantage of' meant.

_He tucked some loose hair behind her ear and she curled her head against his chest. _

"Damon compelled me to be in a relationship with him," she continued as she felt a few hot tears slide down her cheeks.

_She could feel Klaus tense beneath her. _

"He compelled me to do his bidding, he demeaned me, he used my blood...he raped me, and he nearly killed me more than once," she admitted. "Then Katherine turned me against my will and I remembered all of it."

_Klaus grumbled softly under his breath. _

"And despite all that, I've tried to be understanding of Elena's feelings for Damon. Now that things have kind of been reversed, neither of them cares to do the same for me," she murmured.

_He tucked his hand underneath her chin to raise her eyes to his. _

_His eyes looked sympathetic and remorseful and she wished her friends could see him this way. _

"I'll never hurt you like that," he proclaimed quietly.

_Curling her lips together, she nodded as she tried to hold back more tears. _

_For some reason she had accepted his statement without question. It was automatic; instinctual, as though she could feel the promise in his voice. _

"I know," she said barely audible as she kissed his bottom lip tenderly.

_He kissed her back gingerly, only deepening the kiss after she herself had made the first move to do so. It was him being considerate. _

_She climbed over top of his hips and rested in his lap, determined to erase her thoughts of Damon and the horrible memories that had been drudged up. _

_Their kisses intensified and she concentrated on the lovely feeling of his hands drifting through her damp hair. _

_When he pulled her away from his lips unexpectedly she glanced down at him confused. _

"It's okay. I want this," she assured him.

_He shook his head and smiled. _

"As much as I would like to pick up where we left off this morning, your mother is home," he told her.

_She concentrated her hearing in response. _

_Sure enough, she could hear her mother fumbling with her keys outside the front door. _

_She groaned at her mother's perfect timing. Her mother was yet another confrontation she would have to endure before the day was over. _

"I need to talk to her," she told him. "Will you wait?" she asked, hoping he'd say yes.

_He nodded without a word as they could both hear her mother step inside. _

_She climbed off the bed reluctantly, closing her bedroom door partly before meeting her mother in the hallway. _

"Mom," she greeted her anxiously.

_Her mom put her things down on the floor and crossed her arms. _

"I want you to start talking right now, Caroline. What's been going on?" her mother inquired sternly.

_She smiled faintly at her mother, hoping her innocent look would win her over, but she did not seem to be buying it. _

"Don't you want some tea, or something to eat, first?" she suggested to her mother.

_Her mom shook her head. _

"Not until you talk," she replied.

_She stammered a little as she tried to figure out where to start and how much to tell her mom. _

"Tyler and I broke up," she revealed. "The night of the Miss Mystic thing."

"I figured," her mother said bluntly. "That's the impression I got from Tyler, although he wouldn't tell me much. How about you get to the part where you explain Klaus's survival and why you were with him," she demanded.

_She fumbled nervously with her fingers and decided to start at the desiccation. _

"The night Damon was gonna hand over Klaus's desiccated body to Rebekah, Bonnie had done a spell no one knew about. It transferred Klaus into Tyler's body. So when Alaric daggered Klaus, he really didn't kill him," she told her.

_Her mom looked severely confused. _

"But Tyler was here that night. He came to see you after he survived..." her mom recalled, slowly putting the pieces together.

"It was Klaus, not Tyler," she said, pushing her mother's conclusion along. "He posed as Tyler; you gave his body up to the Council to protect me. When I started to get suspicious, Klaus had no choice but to tell me what was going on," she explained.

_Her mother's eyebrows furrowed. _

"So, Klaus is still in Tyler's body and that's why you and 'Tyler' broke up. That's why you were at Klaus's?" her mom asked, still clearly bewildered.

_Her expression scrunched together in response to her mother's question. _

"Not exactly," she revealed. "Bonnie put Klaus back in his body at the Miss Mystic Falls Nomination Ceremony the other night. I already knew about the body-swap then. Klaus is back in his body and Tyler is back in his now. The Council isn't aware, as far as we know."

_A gasp escaped her mother's lips as a hand covered her mouth. _

"Caroline, do you realize how much trouble you and Tyler could be in if the Council discovers Klaus is missing from that coffin!? The Council agreed to leave you alone because they believed you helped kill Klaus. And now, according to Tyler there's someone in Mystic Falls running around with werewolf venom! It's not safe for you," her mother said frantically.

_Before she could defend giving Tyler his body back, a throat cleared from behind her and she saw a stunned expression form on her mother's face at the sight of Klaus. _

_Her mom's eyes began to dart between her and Klaus as she struggled to put together a coherent explanation. _

"Caroline, why is he here? What's going on?" she interrogated.

_She glanced at Klaus and then back at her mother. _

"You said Tyler and Klaus switched back at the Miss Mystic Nomination Ceremony; that that was the night you and Tyler broke up. You said you left your phone at Klaus's...meaning Klaus was already back in his body...meaning you were there with him. Why? What am I missing? Why did you and Tyler break up? And why is Klaus standing in my hallway?" her mom demanded.

_Rubbing her lips anxiously against one another she inhaled anxiously at her mother's questions. _

"Tyler and I broke up because of Klaus..." she began.

"What do you mean? Klaus forced you to break up?" her mother inquired, throwing a cold glare in Klaus's direction.

_She shook her head at her mom and covered her face with her hands before dragging them through her hair. _

"No mom; I cheated on Tyler...with Klaus," she confessed.

_Her mom's eyes widened with what she could only describe as pure horror and disappointment. _

"Caroline..." she scolded.

- "I know," she said, interrupting her mother's attempt at a lecture. "What I did was wrong. It happened after dad died and Tyler left to break the sire bond. I just acted on my feelings. I shouldn't have let it happen, but it helped me realize that I didn't care for Tyler in the way that I thought I did," she revealed.

_Her mother arched an eyebrow, shooting her a look of disapproval. _

"The way you _think_ you care for Klaus? He's made your life and the lives of your friends' hell for the past year," her mom interjected.

_She nodded steadfastly; somewhat surprised that Klaus had remained relatively silent. _

"He's more than that now, mom," she explained.

_Her mom rested her hands on her hips, clearly not convinced. _

"So what? You're with _him_? You're together?" she asked in an accusatory tone.

_Hesitating for an answer, she began to stutter. While they had both confessed their feelings for one another, they had never formally established that they were in a 'relationship.' She didn't want to say anything that Klaus may not be ready to admit. _

_She felt Klaus's fingertips brush against her own as he stepped closer beside her. _

"Yes, we are, Mrs. Forbes," Klaus acknowledged.

_Her stomach knotted with conflicted emotions. While she could tell her mother was not pleased, and that upset her, Klaus had just openly and verbally recognized their relationship, and that provoked a small smile. _

_She looked at her mother who appeared utterly distressed. _

"Caroline, do you have any idea of what you're getting yourself into? He's dangerous; he could hurt you!" her mom exclaimed. "Are you being compelled? Are you compelling her?" she asked Klaus.

_Klaus shook his head. _

"No, she's not being compelled by me," he said in a surprisingly calm voice. "I would never do that to her. Why would I want to compel her to be with me?" he asked rhetorically. "I can assure you Mrs. Forbes, I have nothing but honourable intentions for your daughter," Klaus said, as though he was a human boy needing to secure her mother's approval.

_She was amused by it really. He really didn't need to say those things to her mother. In fact, she really didn't need to justify herself to her mom either. She was a vampire – he was a hybrid. The thought was liberating. However, here he was being polite, and she was grateful. Her mother's acceptance was still important to her. _

"And what exactly does a centuries old hybrid see in a young...vampire...like my daughter?" her mom challenged.

_She was becoming uncomfortable and exceedingly nervous as she found herself caught in the middle of an intensifying verbal match between her mother and Klaus; the latest question of which she didn't expect Klaus to answer, knowing he could barely describe his feelings even to her. _

_He pondered her mother's question for a few moments as she watched both him and her mother apprehensively. _

"My salvation, I suppose," he said simply.

_His admission nearly sucked the breath from her lungs. It was short and simple, but its meanings were endless. _

_Even her mother appeared to be moved by his response. _

"Mom, I know what I'm getting myself into. I've had to sacrifice my friendships for this, and I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't serious...if my feelings weren't real. Klaus would never hurt me," she said, eyeing Klaus as she made reference back to his earlier words.

_Her mom let out an exasperated sigh. _

"But he's already putting you in harm's way," her mother argued. "Without your friends and their protection, you're vulnerable to whoever this person is with the wolf venom. And once the Council discovers they no longer have Klaus, they are going to come for you," she said.

"My blood is the antidote for wolf venom, as I'm sure you recall," Klaus retorted. "And I plan to leave Mystic Falls before the Council discovers my disappearance," he added.

"They could find out tonight," her mom countered hypothetically.

- "Then I'll leave at dawn," he replied.

_She glanced at Klaus in surprise at his readiness to leave Mystic Falls so soon. She didn't want to leave yet. _

_Her mother shrugged. _

"What good is your absence to my daughter?" she questioned.

"She would come with me," he answered.

_Scoffing, her mother began to pace in front of them. _

"No," her mother said flatly. "She can't leave with you; she's barely eighteen. She needs to finish school," her mother reasoned, clinging to her human life as she was.

_She wanted to inject herself back into the conversation – to defend herself – but Klaus began to speak again before she could. _

"It's my understanding that you and Mrs. Lockwood were ready to send Caroline and Tyler away under a similar circumstance," Klaus reminded her.

_Her mom nodded, knowing Klaus had raised a valid point. _

"You were prepared to let your daughter flee with a young hybrid who barely knows his own strength. I can offer Caroline the protection she deserves, and anything else she so desires. I want nothing more than to keep her safe," Klaus added.

_She could tell her mom was at an impasse. She was conflicted. _

_While partly convinced by their appeal, she was also reasonably reluctant. All she really knew of Klaus was his vindictive side, apart from the time he came to save her on her birthday. She could understand why her mother was hesitating. _

_She herself was reluctant, especially if being with Klaus could mean leaving Mystic Falls tomorrow. _

_Her mother exhaled sharply and let her arms fall to her sides as if defeated. _

"I guess there's nothing I can do to stop you," she relented. "The choice is yours, Caroline. I just want you to be happy and safe," her mother said passively.

_Despite her mother's apparent change of heart, the confusion, anger, and sadness could still be heard lingering in the tone of her voice. _

"When you both are finished, have Klaus see himself out," her mother said plainly, turning down the hall for the kitchen.

_She wanted to say more to her mom; to convince her that all of this was okay, but she was at a loss for words. There was nothing more to say. She would have to give her mother time to digest everything she was just told. _

_Thankfully, her mother's initial reaction had been more subdued than that of her friends' at least. _

_She had expected her mother to be enraged and she had anticipated a shouting match between the two of them that rivaled some of their best from when she was a younger teen. She wasn't sure if she should take her mother's failure to respond this way as a good sign yet or not. Time would tell, she thought. _

_Either her mother would be more understanding or she would be ignoring her like her friends were come morning. _

_Klaus was looking at her affectionately and now she found herself conflicted. _

_Klaus had been very open with her mother about the nature of his feelings; the type of confessions that made her heart flutter and her knees weak. However, his eagerness to leave Mystic Falls was not something she shared. _

_He followed her back to her room quietly as she dwelled upon how to reveal that to him. _

"What did Tyler have to say when you went to the hospital?" Klaus asked, breaking the silence and distracting her from her mother and what she really wanted to discuss.

_She could sense a hint of jealousy in his voice at the fact that she had been to see Tyler, but by the tone of his question, Klaus seemed to be more interested in what information Tyler had about the attack. _

"Whoever he was, he was human; bald, facial hair, dark skin," she listed. "He paralyzed Tyler with something and took his venom...he threw Matt across the alley," she added. "Stefan, Tyler, and Damon all thought you had something to do with it..." she told him.

_He sneered as he began to pace her room much like her mother had been doing in the hall. _

"Of course they would. They're always making assumptions," he chided. "Why would I need Tyler's venom when I have plenty of my own?" he asked.

- "That's what I said..." she replied.

_He seemed satisfied that she believed him. _

"Whoever it is knows that Tyler is at least a wolf, and knows that wolf venom is lethal to vampires...perhaps the Council is aware of the fact that my body is no longer in that coffin," he surmised as his mind raced.

_Looking up at her, his serious gaze penetrated her. _

"We can't take any chances. We should leave immediately. It's no longer safe for you here," he stammered quickly.

"And go where?" she asked, completely unconvinced by the idea.

_He shrugged. _

"Anywhere you want to go, love," he offered. "Or, I'll surprise you as you requested," he suggested.

"For how long?" she wondered.

"Indefinitely," he replied.

_She began to hesitate and he noticed before she had the chance to hide it. _

"I-I...I don't want to leave," she blurted out.

_His jaw clenched and she could see that he was displeased. _

"Is this about your mother?" he questioned. "Because I'm sure she could be convinced."

_She shook her head. While her mother's approval was important to her, it wasn't a necessary condition to be met in order for her to leave. _

_As much as she wanted to leave with Klaus she couldn't abandon her friends, even if it seemed as though they didn't want her help. _

"I can't just leave my friends to deal with whatever this new threat is," she explained. "I want to help them."

_He scoffed. _

"Your safety is more important," he argued. "Besides, these so-called 'friends' of yours don't seem to care much about you, so why take such a risk?" he lamented.

"Because I care about them, and I want to make things right," she said defensively.

_His eyes were burning at her defiance. _

"You could be killed if you remain here," he hissed to her impatiently, "if not by the Council then by this mystery attacker."

"They don't scare me," she stated effortlessly. "What scares me is the guilt I'll feel if I leave having not made amends with my friends," she described. "I can't leave."

_She watched him apprehensively as she tried to read his stoic expression and body language. _

_Closing the distance between them, he stepped in front of her so that they were only inches apart. _

"Don't be foolish, Caroline," he warned; his eyes boring down into hers.

"I can't leave, not now," she resisted.

_He growled and almost seemed ready to grab her arms, but he hesitated, dropping his hands to his sides instead._

"So be it, but it is your mistake to make," he deplored. "Do not ask me to be an accomplice to your certain death," he bemoaned.

_She frowned. _

"So you're making me choose then yet again, between you and my friends? Why?" she cried. "I told you once that no matter how much I cared for you, I wouldn't give up my friendships," she reminded him.

"I haven't forgotten," he admitted. "But you also told me that I would never lose you," he challenged. "Your suicide mission to save your friendships will see to it that your latter words are proven to be false."

_He stormed past her towards her bedroom door. _

"Where are you going!?" she panicked.

_With his back to her, he glanced slightly over his shoulder. _

"Your mother told me to see myself out when we were finished," he answered.

* * *

**A/N: So I hope you didn't think Klaus was going to stop acting impulsively. Don't worry, his anger and impulsiveness come from an honest place. I also hope I didn't lure you into a false sense of security where Klaus and Caroline are concerned. Of course it wasn't going to be smooth sailing for them after the last few chapters, we haven't reached the end of the story yet. They've hit a minor bump in the road. Feel free to express your dislike for me in the form of a review. I appreciate love and hate. :D **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Holy eff guys, this fic has almost made it to 400 reviews! I'm amazed. I never expected such a response. I enjoy all of them, even the ones who simply drop by to say things along the lines of "update soon." I do have to draw particular attention to the lengthier ones for their insightfulness though. I love that they can underscore certain aspects of a chapter and draw conclusions that are spot on with my underlying intentions. I appreciate that I don't have to spoon-feed you with a 3x19 Rose speech at every turn; you just understand and pick up on the subtle hints that I've dropped in the dialogue and description. Thank you so much! **

**Anyways, I didn't exactly get to the point I wanted to get to in this chapter, but the part I did get to felt like a natural break. Please ignore my grammar and spelling quirks, lol.  
**

**Read, enjoy, and review me if you feel inclined.  
**

* * *

_The car would not go any faster as he stepped hard as he could on the gas pedal on the county road that led out of Mystic Falls proper. _

_He was feeling reckless and impulsive; both of which were heightened by the unimpressive bagged blood he had consumed at Caroline's that was pumping at lightning speed through his veins. _

_Gripping the steering wheel with just enough strength not to break it, he tried hard not to think of Caroline to no avail. _

_She and Rebekah were like two peas in a pod. She was so hopelessly stubborn it was beyond amusing to him anymore. Especially now. _

_Remaining here with a new threat that possessed wolf's venom and the Council thisclose to discovering his missing body was not wise for her; particularly staying for friends who clearly did not care for her. She would die for them and it would be for nothing. The thought enraged him. _

_He would not let her die for some nagging false sense of loyalty or obligation. She owed them nothing. _

_She may have been determined to gamble her life, but he was more determined not to lose her. He couldn't lose her. Not now, not after wearing his heart so openly and foolishly on his sleeve. _

_With his dreams of a hybrid army destroyed, she was his only hope. She had truly become his everything at this point. Perhaps it had been naive of him to put all his eggs in one basket. _

_All he wanted to do now was get the hell out of this forsaken little town with his girl and indulge her in what the rest of the world had to offer. As cliché as it was, he wanted to see her eyes light up at the foreign sights and her lips smile at all the unfamiliar tastes and sounds. He had seen the world already - some places more than once - but revisiting them with Caroline would be like discovering them for the first time. _

_Admittedly, after his relentless pursuit of hybrids, he wanted a break; he was tired; obviously not in the physical sense, but mentally. _

_Their travels from place to place would have granted him a reprieve and kept them safe. _

_But Caroline wanted to stay here. _

_He grumbled at the thought. _

_She wanted to stay here so she could save the likes of Damon Salvatore. _

_Even thinking the name was poison to his brain. He had detested Stefan's elder brother and his capacity to insert himself into every circumstance that was none of his business, but his hate for Damon had reached new heights after today. _

_He considered heading for the Salvatore house to unleash his pent up anger and frustration on Damon once more. Surely he was recovered by now from the little hit and run incident in the hospital parking lot. _

_However, the thought of even seeing Damon's face made his stomach turn, and he knew he couldn't trust himself not to end Damon permanently without Caroline's watchful eye. _

_Surely, he wasn't much better than Damon; he was probably worse just by the very nature of the fact that he was centuries older. He had partaken in his own fair share of sinful deeds. He had murdered, manipulated, demeaned, and tortured, but most of those actions weren't without some greater purpose. _

_He could never bring himself to rape a woman; it was senseless and it achieved nothing for him__.__ He enjoyed the art of seduction and the thrill of the chase. He had never compelled women to like him – there was no fun in that – he had only compelled them to forget the bits of him that could be lethal to him; namely his status as a vampire. _

_Damon had compelled Caroline to like him though, and surely she had not been his first. _

_Still, he didn't feel he had anymore moral standing than Damon. How could he judge Damon so harshly for actions that weren't entirely out of his own realm of possibility? _

_But Damon had hurt Caroline, and it seemed all his rational thought went out the window in all respects when it came to her. _

_The thought of Damon taking advantage of Caroline sickened him and he tried to concentrate his eyes on the road in order to block out the mental images. _

_Those familiar feelings of guilt hit him as he imagined the tearful expression on her face when she told him everything. She had seemed so vulnerable and helpless. _

_And yet, here he was driving away. He told her he would never hurt her like Damon and his frustration with her refusal had almost provoked him to do just that. He supposed leaving her there alone wasn't any better, but he needed out. He was suffocating. She was everything he wanted and feared most in life. All his positive feelings and fears collided into her. Her refusal to leave and willingness to subject herself to potential danger was overwhelming to him. _

_Taking her somewhere safe against her will had crossed his mind several times, but deep down he knew that would probably end up becoming a regret. _

_He sighed bitterly as he pulled up in his driveway. _

_Out of habit, he checked his cell phone, but there was nothing from Caroline. He was not surprised. She was probably just as angry at him as he was at her. _

_He could smell blood in the air and he felt the urge to hunt. All his emotions were colluding into one desire; he wanted fresh blood. _

_Noticing an unfamiliar car parked in the drive ahead of him, he slipped out of his vehicle and eyed the car curiously. _

_As if impeccably timed, Rebekah was at the front door seeing two of her school girl friends out. _

_He focused his hearing as he lingered in the darkness. _

"We'll talk more about prom decorations tomorrow at the next meeting. Don't forget to bring pictures of your dresses. I want to see!" Rebekah called out to the girls as they waved good-bye to his sister.

_His eyes closed and he concentrated on the scent of their blood. They were most definitely human. _

_While the hunt was half the fun, he felt lucky that his meal had literally stepped right in front of him; tempting him. _

_Once Rebekah shut the door, he flashed in front of the two girls, who shook and laughed in surprise. _

"Oh my god, you scared the hell out of us!" the one brunette squeaked.

"Yeah, holy shit," the other auburn-haired girl complained, holding her hands over her chest.

_He shrugged. _

"Sorry," he laughed.

_Their expressions relaxed. _

"You must be Rebekah's other brother," the auburn one concluded. "I'm Julie," she introduced herself.

"I'm Michelle," the brunette smiled.

"And I really don't care," he concluded amusedly as he disregarded their extended hands and flirty eyes.

_Both the girls looked at each other confused and mildly offended. _

_He stared deeply at them, compelling their attention. _

"It's simple, really. I'm hungry and I need your blood to eat. You'll oblige me, because if you don't, I will kill you. You'll be silent and follow me," he directed.

_The two girls simply nodded. _

_No, he wasn't much better than Damon, a small voice inside his head agreed as he led them to the side of the house and in through private terrace doors to his study. _

_Rebekah had retired to her bedroom and he could hear Elijah turning the pages of a book in the library. _

_He listened for Kol, but apparently he had still not returned. Perhaps he had left for good. _

_Really, he could care less if his siblings discovered him; they were all guilty of indulging at some point or another. _

_He ordered both the girls to sit on the sofa and he followed behind; his fangs already protruding at the prospect of consuming their blood. _

_Sitting on the edge of the sofa beside the brunette, he took her wrist in his hand, stroking his thumb over the veins. _

_He could feel his eyes darken as he brought her wrist to his lips. _

_His fangs tore into the flesh allowing the liquid red gold to seep into his mouth and against his tongue. The blood slid to the back of his throat and he closed his eyes in an effort to lose himself. _

_He continued to drink but felt himself growing frustrated. _

_While blood straight from the vein cured his hunger, it didn't satisfy him. It didn't satisfy him as it had before he tasted Caroline. _

_There was something missing from this that was only present when he drank from Caroline. _

_Disregarding his disappointment, he drank all he could from the brunette – whose name had slipped his mind – short of killing her. He didn't feel like disposing of bodies tonight. He also didn't feel like listening to Rebekah scold him for killing two members of her prom committee. _

_After he was finished with the brunette he moved onto the other girl, chasing a high he knew he'd never attain. _

_He pushed her auburn hair to the side as he sat down beside her. She was silent and submissive, as he had compelled her to be, but he could still see the fear in her eyes. Ignoring it, he dug his fangs into her neck. While her blood was sweeter and more pleasant to taste, it was still empty; a poor substitute. He was left wanting. _

_As he drank he could hear someone approach. With his mind clouded by the fresh blood he concluded that it was probably Elijah coming to scold him. _

_Without even having to look up at the doorway though he knew his initial suspicion was wrong. _

"What the hell is going on?!" her shrill voice demanded.

_Releasing his fangs from the girl's neck, he let her slouch to the arm of the sofa. Both girls were weak and unconscious, but not dead._

_He sat up from the couch and turned to face her timidly as he wiped a few wayward drops of blood from his chin. _

_She was standing with her arms folded tightly across her grey spring jacket. Her blonde hair was pulled back and he noticed that she had changed into jeans for the trip here. He also noted her red and poufy eyes. She had been crying. _

_He really wasn't much better than Damon, he thought. _

_No, he didn't care if his siblings found him like this, but he did care that she had. _

"Caroline," he said meekly.

_She was dividing her time between glowering at him and staring at the practically lifeless bodies on the sofa. _

"What? Things didn't go your way so you decided to sulk by taking advantage of two innocent girls?" she lambasted.

_He said nothing. He didn't know what to say. _

"That's really smooth Klaus. An hour after I tell you how I was taken advantage of by a vampire, you go ahead and do the exact same thing," she scowls. "Did you even hear what I said earlier?"

"Of course I did," he said apologetically as he could.

_She scoffed. _

"Well maybe you heard me, but you obviously weren't listening," she chided.

_He stammered a bit as he rounded the couch. _

"I was angry. I was frustrated. It amounted to hunger," he explained.

"Then get a blood bag," she shrugged. "Or better yet, come to me instead," she hissed. "Don't be a coward and displace your anger onto someone else."

_She walked around the couch from the opposite end and bit into her wrist, compassionately offering her blood to both girls. _

_The thought of draining them of their remaining blood did not even seem to cross her mind. _

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said simply.

_She pointed down at the girls who were beginning to regain consciousness. _

"This hurts me!" she cried.

"You know what I mean," he said.

_She shook her head. _

"You told me you would never hurt me like Damon did and I believe you. I know it took everything in you not to physically lash out at me earlier. You stopped yourself," she reminded him.

_Indeed, he had, but nevertheless he was still fearful of his impulsivity. _

"You're better than this," she said as she looked down at the human girls. "You're better than Damon," she added.

_He sighed guiltily. _

"Why did you come?" he asked curiously, eager to change the subject.

"You may have been finished talking but I wasn't, and I don't feel like playing these passive-aggressive childish games," she proclaimed. "I love you, Klaus. I do. But I love my friends too and this is my chance to make things right with them. You told me the other night that all you wanted was to please me. Well this is what I want. I want to help my friends and I want your support; that would please me," she stated. "It's up to you," she said expectantly.

_Before he could even consider what to say, Rebekah stormed into the room with Elijah following curiously behind. _

_Rebekah gasped when she saw her classmates half-unconscious with bloodstains on their skin from where their wounds used to be before Caroline healed them. _

"What the hell is this, Nik?!" Rebekah implored. "I invited them over for dinner, not to be dinner," she complained. "They're helping me plan for prom. Was this your idea?" Rebekah asked glaring at Caroline.

_Caroline scoffed as if she expected to be blamed by his sister. _

"She had nothing to do with this," he assured his sister, rushing to Caroline's defence.

_Rebekah only looked half convinced while Elijah's inquisitive look seemed to suggest he already had a pretty good idea of what had happened. _

"I was just leaving," Caroline said clearly annoyed by the interruption.

_After making brief eye contact with him she turned for the door. _

_The look in her eyes said it all. She had said all she needed to say. They were finished. Her mind was made up. The choice was his now. _

_He watched her as she disappeared into the hallway and then he turned to Elijah. _

_Elijah nodded and followed Caroline out. _

_Perhaps his brother could do some damage control with Caroline while he dealt with an infuriated Rebekah._

* * *

_She knew Elijah was following her through the house, but she did not stop to acknowledge him until they were outside and given some degree of privacy. _

_Talking with Elijah always seemed to ease her mind regarding Klaus. He always had something insightful to say. Perhaps he could calm her down before she left for home. Maybe he could get through to Klaus for her. _

_She had hoped simply by making the effort to reach out to him that Klaus would change his mind. She hadn't even expected that she would really have to give him the definitive ultimatum she had decided upon before she left. _

_Then again, she hadn't expected to find him chewing on two of her peers for a night snack, either. _

_Her eyes were stinging threateningly with tears, but she held them in bravely. _

_Elijah eyed her cautiously. _

"Forgive me if I'm being intrusive Caroline, but this morning you and my brother seemed completely enamoured with one another and now...now it seems like the opposite. What's the matter?" he asked.

_She exhaled sharply and balled her fists in utter frustration. _

"Your brother is the matter," she complained as she sat down on the steps of the mansion's front entrance.

_Elijah stepped ahead of her and looked out at the clear night sky. _

"Niklaus's lust for human blood straight from the vein displeases you?" he assumed, looking down at her.

_She rolled her eyes and shrugged. _

"Him taking advantage of non-consenting humans bothers me. His inability to allow me to make my own decisions is what displeases me," she clarified.

_Elijah tucked his hands behind her back as he considered what she had said to him. _

"You don't want to leave Mystic Falls, do you?" he concluded.

_His ability to draw correct conclusions from vague information stunned her; he and Klaus had obviously been talking at some point. _

"Niklaus and I spoke earlier today. He expressed his eagerness to leave before the Council discovered his missing body...and even more so in lieu of the surprise attack on Tyler. I assume he discussed it with you," Elijah explained.

_She nodded. _

"He didn't really discuss it with me so much as he just basically told me it's what we're going to do," she corrected.

"I'm sure my brother's intentions are honest. It's not safe for you here. He wants to protect you," he said in his brother's defence.

_She crossed her arms over her knees and lowered her head. _

"I know that," she replied. "But I need to stay here to tie up loose ends. I need to help my friends and make amends with them," she explained. "He doesn't understand it."

_She could hear Elijah smirk lightly at her words and she looked up to see a partly amused expression on his face. _

"Of course Niklaus doesn't understand it. Selflessness is not one of my brother's strongest suits. He doesn't want to lose you," Elijah said.

"He made that clear, but staying here doesn't mean that's going to happen. My friends and I have fought tougher battles before," she argued.

_Elijah shook his head. _

"While I'm sure Niklaus has concerns for your physical safety, I think perhaps on some level he's worried about losing you to your friends," he clarified.

_To a degree what Elijah said made sense to her. She didn't see why Klaus was so concerned about a petty Council of humans and a human attacker, but perhaps the thought of her growing close with her friends again is what worried him more. _

_She shrugged. _

"Well he will lose me to my friends if he doesn't support me," she stated. "He knows how much they mean to me. He shouldn't expect me to choose," she added as she pulled her car keys out of her jacket pocket

"Nor should you have to choose, Caroline," Elijah reaffirmed.

_He extended his hand and helped her up from the steps. _

"Niklaus loves you," he said. "He does," Elijah emphasized. "But he's still learning what that means. Deep down he knows that you won't leave Mystic Falls until things are settled. Just give him a moment to address his insecurities and the shock of being told 'no,'" Elijah smirked.

_She hugged him, grateful for his talk. He really was the only person she could talk so openly with about Klaus without fear of judgement. _

"What if he doesn't learn, Elijah? What if he doesn't want to accept my choice?" she said worriedly over his shoulder.

"Rest assured Caroline, Niklaus may want to leave Mystic Falls, but he would never leave you behind," he told her.

_She pulled away from the hug and nodded. _

"I'll speak with him," he offered.

"Thank you, Elijah," she replied, stepping back for her car. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he called. "Be careful."

* * *

"See Rebekah, your friends are fine," he assured his sister as the two girls stood up from the sofa looking aimless and confused.

_Rebekah scoffed and confronted both of the girls face to face, her eyes narrowing for compulsion. _

"You came here for dinner and to plan for prom, nothing more. You're happy and feel fine, and you're going to leave now," she told them.

_Both of the girls nodded to his sister with a smile. _

"Bye Rebekah," they said in unison.

_They left the room, completely disregarding him. _

"Nik, I don't exactly have a list of friends right now, so next time find yourself a different meal," Rebekah scowled.

_He shrugged. _

"The fact that you barely have any friends is not my problem. Perhaps if you didn't run Matt and Elena off of a bridge, you'd have a few more," his displaced anger spat.

_Rebekah huffed and dug her hands into her hips. _

"Caroline didn't seem too pleased with you, either," she stated.

_He began to fidget with a retractable pen on the desk. _

"Well baby sister that's none of your business," he sneered.

"Did she at least bring me back my clothes?" Rebekah groaned.

_He leaned against the desk and smiled disdainfully at her. _

"I think your clothes were the least of her concerns," he replied.

_Annoyed, Rebekah turned on her heel and headed for the door. _

"Rebekah," he called after her.

_She stopped. _

"As soon as Caroline comes to her senses, we're leaving Mystic Falls. You should be ready to leave," he informed her.

_Rebekah gasped and glared at him with wide eyes. _

"So that's what your little spat with Caroline was really about, wasn't it Nik? Caroline doesn't want to leave yet, and you do," she mused. "Well for once I'm actually on your little girlfriend's side. I have prom and Miss Mystic Falls. I'm not leaving," she announced.

_He clenched his hands into fists. _

"Rebekah, don't be stupid," he warned.

"I'm not afraid of some stupid Council or some mystery attacker at the Grill," she retorted, storming past Elijah who had since emerged in the doorway.

_He shook his head disapprovingly in Rebekah's direction before turning to take a seat at the desk chair while he waited for Elijah to begin his lecture. _

"Well it appears as though you have discontented both females in your life, bravo Niklaus," Elijah announced with a sarcastic smirk.

_He rolled his eyes. _

_Elijah revealed a bottle of bourbon and two glasses that he had been hiding in his hands behind his back. _

_He set the glasses on the desk and filled both half-way. _

"I didn't know that was cause for celebration," he said to Elijah as he took the glass readily, knowing it would calm his nerves.

_Elijah arched his eyebrow. _

"No, I think its cause for commiseration," he mused, sipping from his own glass.

_He conceded that much to his brother with a brief nod. _

"I guess I was right about Rebekah. She does not want to leave..." Elijah started.

_Starting with Rebekah was Elijah's subtle way of delving into the more personal issue of Caroline. _

"Of course not; Prom and Miss Mystic Falls are way more important to her than her safety," he groaned sarcastically.

_Elijah chuckled. _

"Niklaus, sometimes I think you forget that Rebekah is an original vampire," Elijah pointed out.

_He shrugged and draped his feet over the surface of the desk. _

"Rebekah may be an original vampire, brother, but you know she is naive. Rebekah is manipulative but she is also easily manipulated," he reminded Elijah.

_Elijah nodded. _

_He took another long swig of the liquor before sighing loudly in frustration. _

"This doesn't have to be a complicated issue. We are in danger here; we should leave. It's simple," he explained, clasping his hands together.

"But it isn't simple, brother," Elijah retorted. "Caroline has a life here. Rebekah is trying for one. You can't just uproot them on a whim and expect that they'll be receptive," he argued.

_He glared at Elijah. _

"So you managed to get Caroline to speak with you," he noted.

"Well she didn't indulge me in all the details. However, it was clear that much of her anger stemmed from your insistence to leave Mystic Falls rather than your little blood binge she stumbled upon," Elijah replied disapprovingly.

_He frowned at his brother's tone as he traced his fingertips along the pattern of the glass. _

"She wants to stay to help her so-called friends; to redeem herself," he mumbled.

"Caroline cares about her friends a great deal," Elijah observed. "I understand where you're coming from, but forgive me brother, I have to side with Caroline. This is her choice. She wants to assist her friends. Why is that so difficult for you to accept?" he asked, knowing it would garner a reaction from him.

_Grumbling under his breath he slammed the glass against the hard wood of the desk. _

"Do you really understand where I'm coming from, _brother_?" he asked maliciously. "Her choices are going to get her killed. I refuse to let that happen. I won't lose her," he stated.

_Elijah shrugged as he finished the rest of his drink. _

"I told you the other evening that if you could not offer Caroline unconditional love you would lose her forever. If you do not appease her in this Niklaus, that will happen," Elijah said bluntly.

_He threw his hands up in the air. _

"So what? I'm just supposed to sit idly by while she embarks on this kamikaze mission of hers?" he wondered.

_Elijah shook his head disdainfully and set his glace down on the desk. _

"No brother; you support her; you help her; you defend her," Elijah insisted impatiently. "Love is sacrifice."

* * *

**A/N: Heh...so did you enjoy my little reference to Caroline's TVD promo photo caption? **

**As it would appear, Klaus and Caroline are still struggling to get over that pesky bump, but as I hinted at in my last author's note, it is only minor. It won't be much of a spoiler to say that I'm currently planning the manner in which it will be resolved. I'm undecided as to how it should go right now. Feel free to drop me any suggestions. Needless to say any resolution will include Klaroline feels, so you have something to look forward to! :D **

**p.s. 4x07 is only a day away! **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: So I'm breaking the 150,000 word mark with this chapter. I'm excited! Please know that it wouldn't have happened without all your amazing support. We also broke 400 reviews with the last chapter, so thank you for that! **

**I forgot to say this in my last author's note, but I also appreciate the support I got for addressing Caroline and Damon in chapter 22. I wasn't sure how that would go over. Moreover, I expected to get some hate for Klaus drinking from Rebekah's friends in the last chapter, but I didn't. You all seem to understand that Klaus is still 'Klaus' to an extent. :D **

**As usual, this chapter didn't get to the point that I wanted it to – the point I'm sure all of you have been waiting for – but it does include some interesting developments. Don't worry, Klaroline goodness is to come in the next chapter, which I've already started to write. **

**Let me know your thoughts!**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_For a few split seconds she felt normal. It felt like an out of body experience. _

_As the morning sun dripped in through her bedroom window and stung her eyes, she forgot she was a vampire, she forgot her friends had disowned her, and she forgot about Klaus. She was seventeen year old Caroline Forbes, cheerleader, miss mystic falls hopeful, human. _

_While she knew deep down that was no longer the case, for a moment she had believed it. _

_Sometimes she wanted to go back to that simpler time, even if that version of herself had been the most shallow and naive person on the planet. _

_Despite being an only child for just under two decades, she had grown accustomed to sharing a bed with Klaus the past few nights. _

_Now__,__ as she rolled over to the other side of her modestly sized double bed, it felt too big; too empty. _

_Pushing her face into the pillow she breathed in his leftover scent that had pulled into the material from his clothes. _

_She wanted to scream in frustration and cry from sadness all at once. _

_Had Klaus merely apologized and agreed to see things her way__,__ last night could have ended very differently. But Klaus was still too hard-headed, insecure, and prideful to give in. She had to stand her ground. This was something she felt strongly about. _

_She herself had to remain strong, regardless of how much she was hurting without him. _

_The possibility that he might just clean his hands of her and walk away as a result of her stance was terrifying. _

_Elijah assured her that Klaus would not leave her behind, but the scenario still flooded that unconfident place in her mind. _

_Standing up for what she wanted may have been the right thing to do, but it certainly wasn't the easiest. _

_She missed him. _

_Even after the scene she walked in on last night, and his apparent indifference to her choice, she still missed him. _

_Sure the idea of Klaus compelling innocents for blood didn't sit well with her, but she understood his bloodlust. She understood how much strength it probably took out of him not to just snap their necks when he was finished; especially for someone so used to the kill accompanying the feed. She fought those same urges every day. _

_Still, the sight of Klaus consuming their blood without their consent brought her back to Damon and made her uncomfortable. _

_Truthfully she was sure jealousy factored in there somewhere as well. Even though she knew Klaus could never get the same satisfaction drinking from a human's vein that he could drinking from her it was still a little disheartening. _

_She groaned at the high school immaturity of it all. Maybe seventeen year old human Caroline was still inside of her somewhere. She really never did turn eighteen properly. _

_It was actually silly how much she needed him. When she wasn't tossing and turning she dreamed about him; she could feel his fingertips lightly on her skin, she could hear soft echoes of his voice. It was maddening. _

_All she wanted was for him to come to his senses and accept her choice, nothing more. He didn't even have to help her in any significant way. As long as she he would be there when she was done, that was enough. _

_Begging was beneath her though and she wasn't about to plead with him. She laid out the decision for him. There was nothing else she could do. _

_Exhaling, she scanned through her phone to find nothing from Klaus. _

_While he was always one for personal encounters rather than text, she hoped that he might use text to reach out. _

_But no. _

_And of course, she was decidedly not reaching out to him again. She had already done that. It was Klaus's turn now. _

_God, it annoyed her to no end how stubborn he was. _

_She opened a message window and debated about messaging him. It was ridiculous. Pressuring him for an answer would get her nowhere. _

_If they had been on better terms she imagined what she would text him instead; perhaps a good morning or something more risqué. _

_She dropped her phone on the mattress beside her and climbed out of bed. _

_Another day of school wouldn't wait for her. _

_With the weather warming every day, she dressed in jeans, a black peasant blouse, a sweater, and flats. She was sick of wearing boots. Too unenthused to play with her hair, she left it down and wavy. _

_Running late as usual, she only had a few moments to spare a few drops of blood from a blood bag before gathering up her things for school. _

_She had nearly forgotten about the fact Klaus had completed her math homework and she sighed in relief. While she didn't get her other homework finished, the math assignment counted for marks. _

_Tucking everything in her bag, she was startled by the sound of her phone, which she almost forgot to slip in her purse. _

_Her stomach did a small anxious back flip at the prospect of it being Klaus, but as she gazed over at it on the bed, it clearly said 'Rebekah.' _

_It was a text message and she picked up the phone to read it. _

_'Prom meeting at lunch. You better be there.' _

_She could almost hear Rebekah's demanding voice spouting the words. _

_Rebekah was still here, so maybe that was a good sign, she thought as she rushed out to her car. If Rebekah hadn't left Mystic Falls yet, perhaps Klaus was still here. Maybe... _

_Her morning classes went a lot like yesterdays' had. Tyler still hadn't returned. He was obviously milking his fake human injuries for everything they were worth, likely to avoid her. She was still getting the awkward silent treatment from Bonnie and Matt. However, she did get a perfect score on her math assignment thanks to Klaus. _

_English class went a little differently. Since she really didn't have anyone to talk to in between classes, she had arrived early again. The classroom was empty, save for Stefan. _

"Hey," he said warily.

"Hi," she replied, smiling warmly as she took her seat.

_It felt so good to have one of her friends acknowledge and speak to her. _

"Where's Elena?" she asked.

_He frowned. _

"She's at home resting. She's been having a rough go if it lately in terms of feeding. It's left her feeling a little weak," he answered.

_She mirrored his solemn look. _

"That's too bad. Is there anything I can do?" she offered.

_He shrugged and she nodded knowingly. _

_Elena was still pissed. _

"Damon told me you went to see Tyler at the hospital..." Stefan started, smirking slightly.

_He obviously knew about the other half of the story that took place in the parking lot. _

"Yeah, I went to see him. I didn't get a lot more information though. Tyler doesn't remember much, and my mom and another officer showed up before we could brainstorm any leads," she explained.

_Stefan nodded. _

"Maybe the attacker has already fled town? Maybe all he wanted was some venom?" Stefan pondered.

"Doubtful," she sighed.

"You're probably right," he acknowledged.

_Things fell silent and she felt surrounded by that awkward tension that had developed at the mention of Damon's name. _

"So...how is Damon?" she asked hesitantly.

_Stefan chuckled. _

"He said he was a little sore last night," he answered.

"He obviously told you about our confrontation in the hospital parking lot," she said, still unsure if Stefan was upset about it or not.

_Stefan nodded. _

"He was being Damon," she defended. "I never intended for Klaus to show up; but he overheard Damon and I, and he took matters into his own hands," she explained.

"I know how Damon can be, Caroline. You don't have to justify it to me," Stefan assured her.

_She smiled appreciatively. _

"I guess this thing between you and Klaus is pretty real..." Stefan said in a lower voice as some more students began to enter the classroom. "I mean...Klaus defending you...Klaus defending anyone but himself is kind of a foreign concept to me," Stefan joked.

_She could have been offended by his humour, but she took it in stride. She even laughed a little herself. Stefan was right, it did seem peculiar. _

"Did you talk to Klaus about the attack on Tyler?" Stefan asked.

"I did, but he's just as dumbfounded as us," she answered.

_Stefan shrugged. _

"I'm actually surprised Klaus is still in town. I mean, Elena's a vampire now, there's an anonymous attacker out there, and any second the Council could discover he's missing..." Stefan trailed off. "I thought he'd be long gone by now."

_Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, she dwelled back upon her disagreement with Klaus. _

"He wants to leave..." she started hesitantly.

_He looked at her knowingly. _

"But you don't," Stefan finished.

_Nodding, she bit her lip. _

"So he's staying for you?" Stefan asked surprised.

"We'll see," she answered unconfidently. "He's not exactly happy about it."

_Stefan leaned back against his desk chair. _

"Maybe I'm more surprised that you want to stay, just with everything that happened with Klaus, and now this attacker and the Council," he elaborated.

_She shrugged and raised her eyebrows. _

"Everything that happened with Klaus is precisely why I want to stay. I can't leave here when all my friendships are in ruins. I wanna try and make things right," she told him.

_Stefan nodded, seemingly impressed by her determination. _

"I understand," he replied.

"Now I wish everyone else would, Klaus included," she sighed.

_When lunchtime came, she decided to blow off Rebekah's prom meeting and head for the cafeteria, instead. She knew she'd probably end up sitting alone, but that was preferable to Rebekah's scorn. Her appetite for blood was low, but she couldn't resist the homemade macaroni and cheese one of the lunch ladies had brought in today; excellent comfort food. _

_She sat at one of the empty tables and concentrated on the meal rather than passersby. Even though most of the student body was oblivious to her troubles, it felt like every one of them was staring her down as if they knew. _

"Prom meeting in the cafeteria, what a great idea, Caroline," Rebekah said cheerfully, with a hint of sarcasm.

_Rebekah was towering over her while four other girls stood behind her expectantly; Julie and Michelle were two of them. _

_She groaned inwardly. _

"Um...actually..." she started.

- "You weren't ditching the meeting were you?" Rebekah asked with her hands on her hips.

_She obviously had no choice in the matter. Rebekah and Klaus were a lot alike in that regard. _

"No, of course not," she said with the best fake smile she could muster.

"Good," Rebekah stated as she took a seat beside her.

_What was supposed to be her moment of peace, soon turned into a heated prom discussion about the colours to be used, place settings, centrepieces, food, music, and location. Rebekah eagerly volunteered the Mikaelson home as the venue. Klaus would not be pleased at all, and she thought about protesting Rebekah's idea, but Rebekah was determined. Admittedly, if the theme was to be the eighteenth century – a theme that was slowly growing on her – then the Mikaelson house would be ideal. Besides, she couldn't deny that Klaus's inevitable displeased reaction amused her. Actually, she thought it was kind of fitting that Klaus discover what it felt like to have decisions made for him. _

_Overall she contributed very little to the conversation and she knew Rebekah was not happy with her. Getting to plan senior prom had been one of the highlights of her senior year since her freshman year. She had dreamed about her senior prom ever since she and Elena saw her Aunt Jenna off to her senior prom when they were younger. Now, however, she didn't hold the same enthusiasm. Half the fun of prom was sharing it with your friends and that was something she was running low on. It wouldn't be the same without her friends. Moreover, she didn't even have a date. Even if she did return to Klaus's good graces she didn't picture him as the type to concern himself with what was basically an expensive high school dance. _

_She had virtually drowned the voices out as Rebekah and the other girls rambled on about elaborate upholstery, candles, and lavish desserts. Their imaginations went way beyond their measly prom budget, and she expected Rebekah would be compelling herself the perfect event. Students in future years would wonder how they afforded it. _

_As she picked at her macaroni and cheese a cell phone was placed in front of her vision. _

"This is Michelle's prom dress," Rebekah announced, as if to snap her from her daze.

_She looked down at the phone and took note of the strapless light yellow party dress with a bunched up skirt that gave it that eighteenth century touch. _

"It's nice, Michelle," she observed politely before Rebekah snatched the phone away from her and began discussing how Michelle should wear her hair.

_Before she even realized it, the meeting was over and the girls, save for Rebekah, were gathering up their things to leave. _

_She considered getting up and following them out since she dreaded the thought of being left alone with Rebekah, but she remained seated. She knew escaping Rebekah's fury was easier said than done. _

"You know, you could try being a bit more enthusiastic next time. You barely made any suggestions," Rebekah chided her.

_She rolled her eyes and huffed in frustration. _

"Sorry, I'm just not feeling enthused about it," she mumbled.

"Well perhaps you'd prefer not to be on the committee then?" Rebekah proposed.

_Rebekah's suggestion infuriated her. This was supposed to be her prom committee from the beginning and here Rebekah was taking it out from underneath of her and she was letting it happen. This prom committee was all she had to take her mind off of things. She had wanted to stay in Mystic Falls until graduation partly to finish her senior off right, and she was letting it pass her by. _

_She shook her head. _

"No...I want to be on the committee," she assured Rebekah. "I really did like all the ideas. I'm just having a bad day," she said.

_Rebekah seemed to come around with her compliment. _

"Well I'm not exactly having the best time either. Matt won't even acknowledge me, and Nik is still angry with me, but you don't see me throwing myself a pity party every two seconds," Rebekah said.

_Her first instinct was to be offended by Rebekah's harsh words, but she knew Klaus's sister had a good point. _

"You're right," she relented. "I like the light colours...I think we should have upholstered chairs...I like the candlestick holder centrepieces, but I think we need flowers too..." she told Rebekah. "I think everyone would love a dessert table, but I'm not so sure classical musicians are going to go over well. You may be partial to that, but seniors in the twenty-first century want dance music," she added.

_A small smile appeared on Rebekah's lips. _

"Duly noted," Rebekah replied, jotting some things down in her notebook. "And there's the bitch I fought so hard with over the decade dance," Rebekah mused with a humorous tone.

_While the comment shocked her, she genuinely laughed. She was laughing with Rebekah._

_She watched as Rebekah reached into her bag excitedly. _

"This is my dress material," Rebekah beamed, as she showcased the shiny pale blue material. "I'm having it custom made," she explained.

_Apparently Rebekah's enthusiasm was contagious because she found herself eyeing the material admiringly. _

"It's beautiful, Rebekah," she said honestly, even if she didn't know what the design of the dress would be.

_Rebekah grinned proudly as she slipped the material back into her bag. _

"Do you have a dress yet?" Rebekah asked her.

_She shrugged and shook her head._

"No. I haven't really had the time to think about it. I'll probably just pick one up at the boutique downtown," she admitted.

_Rebekah scowled at her and pushed her arm. _

"That sounds so depressing," Rebekah lamented. "Everyone will be getting their dress there. You should come to one of my appointments with my dress maker. He would know exactly what to create for you," Rebekah urged.

"I couldn't afford it," she hesitated.

_Rebekah rolled her eyes. _

"Don't worry. I'd compel him for you," Rebekah told her. "But if you really feel _that_ guilty about it, I'm sure Nik would pay for it," she said almost disdainfully.

_She scoffed at Rebekah. _

"I can barely get your brother to talk to me at the moment, much less convince him to pay for a prom dress," she said. "He doesn't even want to be here as long as prom, and besides, I don't want his money," she added.

_Rebekah laughed scornfully. _

"You underestimate the control you have over my brother," Rebekah grumbled. "He will never leave Mystic Falls so long as you're here; he made as much clear to me last night," she revealed.

_Both of them fell into a few moments of silence before Rebekah stood up and loomed over her. _

"It's pathetic really; your hold on him," Rebekah groaned. "But, your hold is keeping him here, and enabling me to pursue prom and Miss Mystic Falls," she said sternly. "You're reasons for wanting to stay may be ridiculous, but those ridiculous reasons are giving me what I want. The second you tell Nik you want to leave, he'll pick up everything – including me – to grant you your desire, so I would advise you to remain steadfast in your decision to stay," Rebekah hissed.

_And just like that Rebekah's mood took another threatening turn. Yes, so long as she was with Rebekah's brother, she and Rebekah would have this bi-polar relationship._

* * *

_He and Elijah stepped up to the front entrance of the Founder's Hall, and he eyed the building warily. This was not the first time he had walked directly into the fire for her. He had almost been killed by Alaric the first time, and here he was yet again, doing something that could very well destroy him either literally or metaphorically. _

_The debate raged on in his mind over whether or not this was a wise decision. It was definitely a rash and impulsive one, so he supposed it suited him. _

_His eyes burned in Elijah's direction for having encouraged him in this plan. He would blame Elijah if it backfired, he thought with an inward smirk. _

_It was beyond him why Elijah was even here helping him in the first place. Why did he care so much if he redeemed himself in the eyes of Caroline? _

_Despite their power, they were both taking a risk. He was taking a risk for a girl – a young woman__...__vampire. She had completely impaired his judgement. Elijah should have been pulling him back, yet here he was accompanying him to the edge. _

_According to Liz Forbes' inside information, the Council should have begun one of its meetings. It was just past seven o'clock. _

_He was as surprised as anyone would be when Caroline's mother decided to pay him a visit earlier in the afternoon._

* * *

_Loud knocking sounded from his bedroom doors and he groaned at the interruption. He had finally managed some sleep after spending most of the night awake dividing his time between painting, drinking, dwelling on Elijah's words and thinking about her. _

_His room was darkened by the heavy drapes, but he surmised it was just after noon hour. _

"What?!" he demanded angrily.

"You have visitor, Niklaus," Elijah's voice informed him from the other side of the door.

_He tensed and sat up in bed immediately, wondering if perhaps it could be Caroline. _

"Mrs. Forbes; Caroline's mother," Elijah clarified.

_Letting out an anticipatory sigh with disappointment, he climbed out of bed with a little less enthusiasm. _

_Still, he was curious as to why Caroline's mother had decided to pay him a visit. _

"I'll be down in a minute, Elijah," he told his brother.

_He scrambled to find something to wear as he listened to his brother's footsteps descend the stairs down to the foyer. _

_Slipping on some jeans and a black Henley, he left his room to greet Mrs. Forbes. _

_He found her sitting with Elijah in the parlour sipping tea. _

_She was dressed in her typical policewoman's uniform. _

"Mrs. Forbes," he greeted, as both she and Elijah stood from their seated position. "Please, sit," he said.

_Caroline's mother gave him an uncertain smile and sat back down. _

_That unsure smile was the same one her daughter often greeted him with. _

"Perhaps I should be addressing you as Sheriff Forbes? Are you here on official business?" he asked intrigued.

_She shook her head with a light laugh. _

"No, I wanted to speak with you," she admitted, glancing over at Elijah self-consciously.

_He looked at Elijah. _

"Excuse us, brother?" he requested of Elijah.

_Elijah nodded and rose from his seat. _

"It was lovely finally getting to meet you, Mrs. Forbes," Elijah said as he shook her hand.

"Same, and please, call me Liz," she said in a friendly tone, that he could only hope would be extended to him.

_Elijah smiled at her and left them alone. _

_He stood there awkwardly as she sipped from her tea cup. For some reason this woman intimidated him. _

"You have a beautiful home," she observed as she looked around adoringly at the interior finishes of the room. "Forgive me for asking, but how do you afford it?" she asked.

_It wasn't an innocent question. He knew she was testing him; fishing for more information about him. He didn't blame her. _

_He smirked. _

"Do you mean, did I steal it?" he asked, walking towards one of the windows, too on edge to sit down.

_She laughed anxiously. _

_He shrugged. _

"I've compelled myself a few business deals along the way, but most of this is the product of legitimate wealth Mrs. Forbes," he answered.

_She looked relieved. _

"Liz," she corrected.

"Liz," he repeated.

_First-name basis was promising, he thought. _

"So, Liz, I'm sure you didn't just come here to admire my home, what did you come here to speak with me about?" he wondered anxiously.

_Placing her tea cup on its saucer, she set it on the table in front of her. _

"Our apparent mutual interest," she said cryptically. "Caroline."

_He waited for her to elaborate. _

"She didn't send me here to see you, if that's what you're thinking," she assured him.

_It had crossed his mind in the last few minutes, but he knew if Caroline had something to say she would tell him herself; as she had last night. _

"Those things you said about my daughter...about wanting to protect her...about her being your salvation...were you being truthful?" she asked outright.

_He traced his hand along the back of an armchair as he listened to her question and contemplated his answer. _

"I am many things Mrs...Liz, but a liar is not one of them," he said, making eye contact with her.

_She nodded, but she still seemed unsatisfied. _

"Do you not believe me?" he questioned.

_Biting her lip, much like Caroline did, she shrugged. _

"For someone who seems to care about my daughter, I'm just confused as to why you seemed to have made her so upset last night..." she challenged.

_This woman certainly knew the questions to ask and the buttons to push to get at the heart of matters. _

"We had a little disagreement," he said casually, playing it down as though it was a minor issue.

_She glared at him. _

"She came home sobbing..." Caroline's mother challenged. "Naturally, she wouldn't tell me why," she added.

_He clenched his jaw using every bit of restraint within him to avoid becoming hostilely defensive. _

"Your daughter wants to stay in Mystic Falls. She thinks that by helping solve the case of the mystery attacker, she'll win her friends back. By staying here she would be putting herself in grave danger, not only from this attacker, but from the Council should they discover my disappearance," he explained honestly. "I don't think the risk is worth it."

"You want to leave...with her...and she wants to stay," Liz concluded.

_He nodded. _

"Listen, I realize that you're not keen about my relationship with your daughter, nor are you keen about the prospect of her leaving with me, but I think it's very unwise for her or I to remain here," he said sternly.

_Caroline's mother released a drawn out sigh as she avoided his stare. _

"I agree," she revealed.

_He was taken aback. For once, someone was agreeing with him. No, it wasn't one of his siblings and it wasn't even Caroline, it was her own mother. He couldn't hide the surprised look that had etched upon his face. _

"After twenty years of police work I consider myself a pretty good judge of character. While your past is questionable concerning Elena and your hybrids, I feel inclined to trust you when you say you want to protect Caroline," she confessed. "I believe that you can do that...better than I can now," she said self-consciously.

_While he hadn't had a mother for centuries, he recalled his mother's utter despair at the loss of Henrik and how helpless she felt in her efforts to protect her children before she resorted to vampirism. He imagined Caroline's mother felt a similar helplessness. These threats were too big for her to handle alone. _

"You can trust me," he assured her. "You're protecting Caroline by putting your faith in me."

_Liz nodded. _

"As much as want Caroline to stay and wrap up her life here, her safety is what is most important to me. If anyone can convince her to leave, it's you," she said.

_He scoffed with a small chuckle under his breath as he thought about his failed attempts. _

"As much as I would love to oblige you, I don't think there's anything I could say to her that would make her agreeable. I'm afraid your daughter is more stubborn and determined than I've given her credit for," he mused.

_She smiled knowingly. _

"Caroline is the product of two very stubborn people," Liz acknowledged.

"She won't leave until she's exhausted every opportunity to get her friends back," he concluded. "I cannot force her to leave," he said.

_A worried look spread across her face. _

"What will you do then?" she asked him.

_He shrugged. _

"No matter how much I might disagree with her, I've resigned myself to the fact that since Caroline refuses to leave, I am forced to remain here," he explained, "to look out for her."

_Her tense facial expression eased slightly. _

"Thank you," she said softly, the relief apparent in her voice. "But what about the Council?" she asked.

_He sneered at the mention of it. _

"Yes, about the Council...I know they have cut you and Carol Lockwood out of loop, but I was hoping you would be able to give me some information," he said.

* * *

_And thus, here he was, on the doorstep of the Founder's Hall with Elijah preparing to enter this lion's den. _

"Are you sure about this, Niklaus? Once we do this, there will be no going back..." Elijah warned.

_He glared at Elijah. _

"Are you serious, Elijah? You're the one who encouraged me," he scoffed, as he stepped forward towards the doors.

_Knocking, he waited patiently for the doorman to answer. _

_As soon as the doors opened, he lunged at the older man in the otherwise empty foyer while Elijah kept watch__._

_He sunk his fangs into the man's skin. His blood was laced with vervain, and while it tasted foul, it would take more than that to weaken him. _

_The man passed out almost instantly from shock, and he dropped him to the floor with utter disregard. _

_Elijah was giving him a disapproving look. _

"What?" he whispered in an annoyed tone.

_Elijah shrugged and handed him a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face. _

"You could have been a little more discreet, brother," Elijah explained.

_He rolled his eyes and pushed past his brother towards the smaller meeting room adjacent to the larger room the Miss Mystic Nomination Ceremony had been held the other evening. _

_Perhaps it had been naive of him to trust Liz Forbes. Maybe this entire thing was a set up; another trap to destroy him. But the fact that Caroline's mother had been the one to seek him out in the first place was what restored his confidence as he neared the open entranceway to the room. _

_He hadn't figured out his plan exactly; but plans were boring. The important part was his resurrection before the Council. _

_The thought of their shock alone made him smirk with delight, regardless of the potential risk. _

_All he knew was that he was under strict orders from Caroline's mom not to kill any of the Council members, despite his greatest wish to. Apparently these vindictive creatures were her friends, and were people she had known all her life. However, that was not to say he and Elijah couldn't rough them up a little to make a point. He was banking on threats; hoping they would suffice to buy Caroline some time as well as give him the advantage. He had the element of surprise, they did not. _

_He stood just shy of the entranceway as he removed the blood from his face and listened in on their conversation. _

"Why should we put our faith in this hunter? He's given us nothing; not one vampire," one woman argued.

"Killing vampires is not like killing humans. It takes time – meticulous planning," and older male chimed in.

"If killing vampires was simple, then why haven't any of you volunteered?" another male snapped.

_He took that as his cue. _

_Bolting to the front of the room with his vampire speed he grabbed hold of the pastor – who Liz Forbes said would be leading the meeting. _

"Perhaps you'd like an opportunity to volunteer right now?" he hissed with his blackened eyes and fangs exposed.

_The pastor was sweating profusely and shaking under his grip, while horrified looks quickly fell upon the several people in the room in response. _

_One woman darted for the entrance, but Elijah was already there, blocking the entrance with a pleasant grin. _

_Elijah stood there guardedly and the woman froze in place before retreating back to one of the sofas where a male held her pathetically. _

_Smiling at Elijah, he quickly turned his attention back to the group of terrified humans. _

"What? No volunteers?" he laughed. "Aren't you supposed to be the secret Council that protects Mystic Falls from vampires? Don't you despise them and want them dead?" he confirmed.

_None of the group responded, save for the pastor who was quietly pleading with him to be released. _

_He flung the pastor effortlessly against a nearby wall, rendering him unconscious. _

"Well, come on then, here's your chance. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is instead of hiding behind some hunter?" he snickered as he extended his hands.

_There was always a hero in any crowd, and this group was no different; he had already singled him out. _

_And as if on cue, he noticed the middle-aged man with a receding hairline jump up from one of the chairs and lunge at him with a wooden stake from the corner of his eye. _

_He let the man attack. _

_The wooden stake pierced his skin just below the heart. The wood was soaked in vervain. He laughed as the man drove the stake into his body. _

_When the man realized the stake did nothing to him save for drawing a bit of his blood, he froze there in front of him; his hand still firmly wrapped around the stake. _

_He looked up at him helplessly now, while he looked down at the man with pity. _

"Fool," he breathed, before snapping his neck effortlessly.

_Caroline's mother may have told him not to kill anyone, but that was entirely self defence he concluded mirthfully. _

"Anyone else?" he asked simply as he tossed the now deceased man to the side. "I'm afraid it takes much more than a wooden stake to kill me, but then you wouldn't really know a thing about that would you, since you merely only took the credit for incapacitating me," he reproached.

_They all sat there quietly, trying hard to maintain their composure. He could smell their fear, however. _

"I expect that you're surprised to see me here..." he mused. "However, by the looks on your faces, you're not exactly surprised to see me alive," he observed, as he began to circle the group. "This leads me to assume one of two things; either you discovered my missing body, or this hunter you were speaking of before my interruption has filled you in."

"What do you want from us?" the same woman who tried to escape earlier demanded.

_He snickered and turned around on his heels to face her. _

"At this moment, I believe I would like to know how you discovered my disappearance. Was it a sheer hunch? Or was it this hunter who informed you? Or perhaps it was someone else?" he asked calmly, still wondering if perhaps Liz Forbes had sold him out.

_The woman's lips tightened. _

_They would need some persuasion. _

_He grabbed the woman by her neck and picked her up. _

"Now I know you're all on vervain, so I can't compel the answer out of you, but I certainly have other means of making you speak," he grinned as he eyed the frightened woman under his grasp. "Tell me, or I'll kill her just like I did him," he threatened, pointing to the now deceased man on the floor. "And don't lie because I can tell when you are."

_He tightened his hold on the woman in an effort to stress his point. _

_The man who had comforted her earlier began to stutter as though he was ready to give him an answer. _

"It was the hunter," he finally revealed.

_Tossing the woman aside, he leaned over the man who had spoken. _

"Really?" he said intrigued. "This hunter works for you?" he questioned.

_The man nodded. _

_He responded by grabbing the man violently by the collar of his shirt; apparently the Council had not ceased their quest for vampires, regardless of their deals with Caroline's mother and his siblings. _

_Could this hunter be the mystery attacker Caroline had been so dead set upon finding?_

"Who is he!?" he demanded, shaking the already trembling man.

_The man shook his head eagerly. _

"We don't know him directly. We've only ever talked over the phone," he confessed.

_He appeared to be telling the truth, but he glanced over at Elijah for confirmation. _

_Elijah nodded. _

"So then I assume you have no way of contacting him?" he asked, frustrated.

"No," the man replied.

_Uttering an expletive under his breath he backed away from the informant. _

_He looked around at the panicked Council and chuckled casually. _

"Well, let this be a lesson to you; never underestimate me," he warned venomously, as he nodded his head towards the unconscious pastor and deceased man. "Whatever you have planned with this hunter of yours, I want it stopped. Rest assured that if it is not, not only will my brother remove the funds he so generously donated to the town coffers, but I will see to it that each and every one of you will suffer the most brutal of deaths alongside the hunter," he growled.

_Judging by the frightened looks on their faces it appeared as though they got the point. He was not naive however, he knew this would only grant them a temporary truce with the Council. When the power of his threats began to dissipate they would return to their plotting and scheming once more. But for now, it was this hunter they had to concentrate on. He had a feeling the hunter would lead them directly to the unknown attacker from the Grill__._

* * *

**A/N: So I apologize for the lack of Klaroline this chapter. I promise that there will be Klaroline interaction and fun times in the next chapter! :D **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: This update took a little longer to write than expected, sorry about that! But I'm back with a lengthier update and on the coat-tails of TVD's mid-season finale no less. **

**There is lots of Klaroline in this chapter so I hope enthusiasm picks up from my last update. Don't let the length discourage you from passing me a review!  
**

**I wait patiently to know what you think of it... **

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

_He sat at the Mystic Grill bar anticipatorily, consuming a victory drink of C.C. and ginger, as he waited for his guests to arrive._

_Elijah had retired back to the house for the evening, in part to check in on Rebekah and inform her of the latest turn of events, but also because the Grill wasn't really his 'scene' as he had put it. It was of no consequence anyways, Elijah had helped him enough with the Council. _

_He grinned to himself as he thought about their frightened faces. It looked good on them, he thought. _

"That seat's taken," a bitter Damon Salvatore could be heard growling from behind him.

_He smirked. _

"Indeed it is; by me," he mused, as Damon took a seat beside him.

"Bourbon, neat," Damon hissed to the male bartender.

_Both of them watched as the bartender slid the drink to Matt Donovan who then delivered it to Damon _

"I'll never understand what my sister sees in that boy," he said.

_Damon touched his glass against his glass before taking a drawn out sip. _

"You and me both," Damon muttered.

"I assume you got my message," he inquired. "I'm surprised you showed," he admitted, thinking back to their last encounter.

_Damon chortled. _

"Well seeing as you sent the exact same cryptic text message to Elena and Stefan, I figured I was safe. Besides, if you wanted to snap my neck and run over me again, I doubt you'd invite me out for a drink beforehand," he joked.

_He shrugged and raised his eyebrows. _

"What can I say? I'm a gentleman," he retorted, before taking another drink.

_Damon responded by clenching the fabric of his shirt and feigning an offended expression. _

"Are we really going to play morality police?" Damon scoffed. "I mean, you and I could probably make a fun drinking game out of it, but..." Damon trailed off.

_He clenched his glass firmly and glared at Damon with a serious expression. _

"What I've done does nothing to justify your treatment of Caroline, but whatever makes you sleep better at night, Damon," he argued, taking a drink when he was finished.

"Come on hybrid Ken, cut me some slack; I barely knew her then. You forget that you were all ready and willing to sacrifice her to break the curse. Remember that? If anything, you should be thanking me. If I didn't sabotage your plan A, you and vampire Barbie would have never hooked up," Damon mused.

_He rolled his eyes and scoffed, conceding that Damon had a point. _

"Nevertheless, someone had to call you out for your misdeeds. I guess with everyone focusing on Elena it just slipped everyone's minds," he said, hoping just to evoke the tiniest bit of guilt from the elder Salvatore; and if not guilt, then at least discomfort.

_Damon took a long sip of his drink, clearly annoyed by his persistence with the subject. _

"Did you ever even apologize to her?"

_He heard a disgruntled sigh escape Damon's lips. _

"Really?" Damon balked sarcastically. "Can we drop the Dr. Phil routine, please?"

"Certainly, as you wish," he hissed, slamming his now empty glass down against the top of Damon's hand that was resting on the bar top.

_Damon winced._

_The glass shattered quietly upon impact. He noted the tiny shards that had dug their way into Damon's skin, before noticing the disapproving look on Matt Donovan's face. _

_Damon's lips tightened into a straight line as he reached over the bar for a towel to clean up the blood from the wounds that were already healing. _

_He smiled pleasantly at Damon while Matt began to clear the pieces of glass. _

_Damon scowled as he tried to regain his composure. _

"Tell the bartender to make me another drink," he told Matt as he finished cleaning.

_Matt nodded with a judgemental look on his face before walking away in the direction of the bartender. _

"So, are you gonna fill me in on how this impromptu gathering at the Grill relates to the anonymous attacker?" Damon inquired as they both scanned the restaurant.

_Stefan and Elena were seated at a booth with Bonnie, while Tyler and a girl he had never seen before were at another table across the room. _

"It will all make sense in time, Damon," he said as he handed Damon a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

_Damon unfolded the paper curiously to reveal a grainy photograph. _

"What the hell is this?" Damon asked.

"A picture..."

- "Uh yeah, obviously," Damon replied sarcastically. "Who is this?"

_His lips curved into a smile. _

"That's your mystery man. It's a picture from the Grill's security footage. Matt was kind enough give me a copy," he explained.

_Really, Matt didn't offer a copy so much as he had threatened Matt into providing him with one. _

"Is that the guy who attacked Tyler?" Jeremy Gilbert interrupted from the other side of the bar.

"Who wants to know?" Damon said with mock seriousness.

"Just let me see the picture, dick," Jeremy said to Damon.

_He laughed under his breath at the exchange. It appeared as though neither he nor Jeremy had a preference for the elder Salvatore brother. _

_Damon slid the paper across the bar to give Jeremy a better look. _

"I remember that guy. He was at the bar that night. He had a pretty sick tattoo up his arm," Jeremy explained.

_His interest was piqued instantly at his mention of a tattoo. _

"Really? Because it doesn't appear as though he has a tattoo on either arm in this photograph," he chimed in.

_Jeremy shrugged in confusion as he took a second look at the picture. _

"Look, I know what I saw. He had a tattoo. The photo seems kind of distorted," Jeremy said, defending his earlier observations.

_After Jeremy vaguely explained the detail of the tattoo, he had the information he needed and tried his best not to make his interest suspicious. _

"We'll keep an eye out. Now don't you have work to do or something?" Damon said as he snatched the paper back from Jeremy.

_Jeremy scoffed and scampered off to the back room. _

_He and Damon returned to their drinks in silence. _

"Do you have that image memorized?" he asked Damon.

"Not that hard to forget. Besides, if he has this tattoo, recognizing him should be easy," Damon replied.

_He smirked knowingly and nodded. _

"Good," he acknowledged.

_A look of mischievous realization spread across Damon's face. _

"That's why we're here, isn't it? To draw him out," Damon determined.

"If he's who I think he is, then it should work," he explained vaguely.

"Who is he?" Damon asked naturally.

"A hunter," he replied.

_Damon appeared intrigued and they sat together quietly together in contemplation for a few moments with their drinks to keep themselves company. _

"So where is vampire Barbie tonight?" Damon spoke up again as he swiveled in his chair to scan the room.

_His prolonged silence was enough to raise red flags for Damon, who appeared amused by the situation. _

"You didn't invite her, did you?" Damon concluded. "You know she's going to freak out when she finds out you didn't include her in this plan, right?" Damon mused.

_He shrugged. _

"She's already cross with me; but better cross than dead," he decided.

"So I guess the rest of us are all chopped liver to you then?" Damon remarked.

_He chuckled. _

"You should know that by now Damon," he answered before finishing his second drink. "I shouldn't have to tell you."

"Well, I think the only one who's going to wind up dead is you, because cross just walked through the door and she looks a lot like Caroline Forbes," Damon snickered.

_Jerking his chair around his eyes met instantly with Caroline's blazing stare from across the restaurant. _

_With her eyes fixed on his she walked towards him determinedly. _

_He could see Damon smirking at the scene about to unfold. _

"Boy does she look _pissed_," Damon mused, emphasizing the word 'pissed.'

"Shut up, _mate,_" he muttered under his breath; saying the last word as sarcastically as he could.

_Perhaps he was a glutton for punishment. Admittedly, he derived enjoyment from the sight of her furious expression; the hypnotizing sway of her hips seemed to be choreographed to her anger, while her puffed out chest underneath the tight black blouse she was wearing only accentuated the obvious. Certainly there was beauty in madness. She definitely was beautiful, he thought, as he took another moment to admire her before she unleashed her fury. _

"What the hell were you thinking!?" she scolded him immediately, very much in a similar fashion to the way she had outside of the Founder's Hall.

_He rapidly mulled over all the possible things she could be referring to. _

"What do you mean, love?" he asked.

_She glared at him and scoffed. _

"The Council!" she shouted.

"You're making a scene, sweetheart," he said calmly, noting Damon's entertained look, as well as the looks of her friends throughout the restaurant.

"Yeah, sweetheart, you're making a scene," Damon mocked.

_He shot a dirty look in Damon's direction. _

"Fuck you, Damon," she spat.

_Both he and Damon were shocked by the expletive that escaped her mouth. _

"How about we talk about this outside, hmm?" he said as he stood up from the bar stool and grasped her upper arm.

_She quickly shirked out of his hold and stormed ahead of him for the side exit. _

"Keep an eye out," he mumbled to Damon, referring to the hunter, before taking off after Caroline.

_The alley beside the Grill was occupied by a few other patrons and he quickly compelled them all to leave. _

_Turning back to Caroline, she was standing firm with her hands on her hips. _

"You can start explaining your visit with the Council any time," she persisted.

"How did..."

- "My mom told me," she stated.

_Right, he should have known. _

"You said that my support would please you..." he started.

_She quickly gave him an unimpressed stare as she crossed her arms. _

"Yeah, support as in staying in Mystic Falls; support as in not holding our relationship over my head; I didn't mean, 'hey, Klaus go reveal yourself to the Council'!" she exclaimed. "Now they know you're alive..."

"They already knew," he interrupted.

_Her frustration quickly turned to shock. _

"What? How?" she asked.

"They have a vampire hunter working for them. He informed them," he explained.

"Who is he? Was he there?" she said, bombarding him with questions.

_He shook his head and shrugged. _

"Their contact with him is one-sided. They've never met him in person...but..."

- "You think he's the one who attacked Tyler," she assumed before he even had a chance to tell her on his own.

"Precisely," he answered.

_She looked weary and confused as she tried to comprehend everything he was telling her. _

"How did you find this out?" she wondered.

_He hesitated. _

"Eavesdropping and threatening behaviour are very effective," he mused.

_Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. _

"The Council needed to be confronted. If I'm going to remain here – if you are going to remain here for the foreseeable future – I needed to ensure the threat they posed was neutralized," he defended himself.

_Her facial expression seemed to relax as she began to understand his reasoning; that was until she started to grow curious. _

"And just how exactly did you 'neutralize' the threat?" she demanded.

_He shrugged. He might as well be honest with her; he really had nothing to lose at this point. _

"Well in addition to rendering the pastor unconscious and killing one of them, I threatened the rest of their lives and warned them that I would take back the donation Elijah had made to the town," he admitted.

_She gasped and her eyes widened in horror. _

"You killed one of them!?"

_He chuckled at her dramatics. _

"Sweetheart, he came at me with a stake. They need to know I'm someone to fear," he argued. "Besides, these people aren't exactly innocent either. You don't hire a vampire hunter when you want to make peace with vampires," he added.

_She still didn't look convinced. _

_He grabbed her by the shoulders to focus her attention on him. _

"Don't think for a moment that they wouldn't kill you if given the opportunity. They don't deserve your compassion, love," he lamented.

_He could tell she was struggling. These were people she had grown up around all her life. It was hard to picture them as monsters or threats to her now, but that's exactly what they were. _

"If I didn't confront them tonight, then they would still be a threat to worry about. Now we can focus on the hunter," he said.

_She scoffed and pulled away from his touch. _

"Now _you_ can focus on the hunter," she corrected angrily. "That's why you told everyone to come here tonight, isn't it? Stefan texted me for more information, but I couldn't tell him anything because I guess you forgot to invite me," she hissed.

"I thought I could draw the hunter out here. I confronted the Council...I'm trying to capture the hunter...all to protect you...to give you what you want," he offered, angry that she didn't see that.

_She shook her head, clearly annoyed. _

"So you've done a one-eighty over night, then? First you want nothing to do with this, and now you're completely taking over? **I**want to make things right with my friends. I know you're worried about me, but I don't want you to do it all for me," she complained. "Let me do this; help me do this," she pleaded hopefully.

_He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth in frustration. Why did she have to be so difficult? Why couldn't she just be grateful that he had dealt with the Council and was now trying to capture this hunter? He knew, however, it was more complex than that. He could almost hear Elijah's voice in his head telling him how overbearing he was being. He couldn't help it though; he didn't want to lose her. Ironically, his domineering attempts to protect her would ensure that he would. Either way he was left feeling vulnerable. Ultimately, he knew he would have to give her what she wanted, as Elijah had foretold, if he wanted to keep her. _

"Christ," he growled aloud at the internal debate raging within him. "Fine," he conceded.

_Instantly her eyes lit up and her mouth curled into the most amazing smile. _

_Without much warning her arms were wrapped around his neck and her lips crashed against his. He hesitated briefly from the unexpected surprise, but soon found himself digging his fingertips into her jean covered hips and eagerly reciprocating her kiss. _

_Perhaps Elijah had been onto something with his advice, he thought in passing as he slipped his tongue against hers. It certainly was yielding him favourable results. _

_He hadn't realized how much he missed the feel of her body pressed against him and her sweet lips against his until now that he was granted the opportunity once more. _

_Sure, their quarrel had only lasted a day, but had been one of the most torturous of days. _

_Maintaining their connection, he staggered them towards the brick wall of the restaurant, pinning her between it and his body._

_She murmured into his mouth at the rough actions. _

_He let his hands roam her body and his lips followed suit, trailing their way over her jaw, onto her neck, and then down to her taut cleavage while her hands combed and tugged through his hair teasingly. _

_His eyes darkened against her skin as his tongue could almost taste the blood rushing through her, straight to the apex of her thighs. He wanted so badly to taste her in more than one sense. _

"Klaus," she panted.

"Mmm?" he mumbled as his lips danced up to her earlobe.

"Don't we have a hunter to lure out?" she reminded him.

"He can wait," he said into her ear.

_She laughed against his cheek. _

"I'm serious," she replied as her hands dipped down against his chest to put a few more millimetres of distance between them.

"So am I," he hissed, grinding his hips into hers.

_He could hear her whimper softly at the contact. _

"Anyone could see us," she pointed out anxiously as his own hands snaked under her arms and over her breasts.

_He brought his lips to her other ear while he let one of his hands settle against the material between her thighs. _

"Let them watch," he stated.

_She groaned at the new sensation of his hand pressing firmly against her centre__._

_Before she had a chance to protest the idea, he kissed her again. _

_Desperate for more intimate contact he went for the button on her jeans. _

_While he was not opposed to sex in public, Caroline's clothing choice wasn't the most practical. He decided to indulge her with an appetizer for now. He'd save the main course for later. _

_Surely her friends would be wondering where they had wandered off to anyways. He didn't want them leaving just yet. _

_He grinned against her lips when she barely made an effort to deny his actions. _

_The jeans came undone with ease and his fingers slowly pried their way under the lacy material of her underwear. _

"Touch me," she whispered.

_He felt his pants grow tighter with her words. _

_She gasped when his fingers made contact with her heat. _

_Kissing her lips to stifle her sweet noises, he allowed his fingers to explore; first they circled around her clit and then outlined her opening tauntingly. _

"Please," she practically begged as she tore her lips away from his.

_With his fingers slicked generously in her juices, he thrust two of his fingers inside of her. _

_Her legs nearly gave out with his action, and she had to hold herself up against him by his shoulders. _

"Mmm," she whined against his neck as she began to kiss and suck his flesh.

_Much to his relief – or perhaps more to his frustration – one of her hands found their way to the crotch of his pants and began to stroke him over the material. _

_Even the most minimal of touches from her made him light-headed. _

"You're driving me mad," he warned under his breath.

_She bucked her hips frantically against his hand in response as she continued her tantalizing hand motions. _

_His fangs were aching to protrude; longing to dip into her soft skin as they raked just above her cleavage. _

"Klaus," she murmured.

_He heard his name as encouragement to keep going, but soon he felt her hands leave his body and tug on his own hand that was currently buried inside her jeans. _

"Klaus...the hunter," she said.

_He chuckled against her skin. _

"I'm sure your friends can handle watch duty for now," he purred.

_She grabbed his hand tighter and pulled stronger. _

"No, the hunter!" she panicked.

_His head shot up and noticed the fear in her eyes. _

_He glanced in the direction she had been looking, at the alley's exit, but there was nothing. _

"I think I saw him," she said as she tried to steady her rapid breathing. "The guy who attacked Tyler – the hunter – he was standing there," she stammered.

_Slipping his hand out from her pants, he grumbled in frustration. _

"I guess the hunter is a part-time voyeur," he mused, as he sucked her lingering arousal from his fingers. "Who would have thought that a little exhibitionism would have lured him out?"

_She scoffed as she did up her pants. _

"This isn't funny!" she lamented. "We need to get inside and tell the others."

_He knew she was right, but he still complained with a sigh nonetheless as she headed for the door. _

_Before she could go for the door handle he spun her around back to him and kissed her. _

"You owe me later," he reminded her as he held her face.

_She blushed and laughed. _

"No, I think you owe me," she retorted.

_He followed her inside, carefully watching around him for any sign of this hunter they were after. He saw nothing, save for the curious stares of all her friends – Stefan, Elena, Tyler, Matt, Bonnie, Damon. They all watched intently as they stopped at the bar. _

_Ordering a straight whiskey this time for himself, he ordered her rum and coke – thinking back to what she had ordered the first time they spent with each other at this bar. _

_She sat down on a bar stool and waited patiently for the bartender to make their drinks. _

_Damon was a few stools away, eyeing them curiously. _

"This feels weird," Caroline said anxiously as she accepted her drink.

"What?" he asked, before sipping his drink appreciatively.

"Everyone's staring at us," she said.

_This really had been the first time they had been out in public together, he thought. _

_He slipped his hand around her waist and kissed her temple possessively. _

"Just enjoy your drink, love. We're here to keep an eye out for the hunter, not your friends," he stated reassuringly.

_She nodded and downed her drink readily before compelling herself a whiskey sour from the bartender. _

_He informed Damon of the possible hunter sighting, before returning back to Caroline. _

_They sat there in wait for another half hour with still no sign of the hunter. _

_He was growing impatient. _

_Perhaps the hunter grew skittish after encountering them in the alley earlier? Maybe it was not even the hunter Caroline had seen? _

_Here they were like sitting ducks; waiting targets in a public place, and yet this hunter had still not revealed himself. _

_Caroline's friends were all too busy staring at them anyways; the hunter had probably passed them by already. _

_Every now and then he'd catch Elena staring daggers in their direction, while Stefan looked on perhaps almost sympathetically. It seemed Stefan, out of all of Caroline's friends, had been the most understanding. _

_He scowled noticing how Caroline's face would drop every time Matt would walk past at the bar, giving her the silent treatment. _

_It was ridiculous. It was as though Caroline had carried out a mass slaughter of innocent humans or something. Compared to the likes of Damon or Stefan, Caroline was an angel. Moreover, her friends' hostility had more to do with the fact that she was with him than it did with the fact that she had been unfaithful to Tyler. _

_He wanted to confront them all about how asinine they were being, but he knew Caroline would never stand for it. He tried to keep restrained, but the alcohol he was consuming wasn't helping. _

_Sensing her discomfort and discouragement he contemplated giving up tonight on the 'hunt' for the hunter. _

_Just as he was about to mention leaving, their attention was diverted to the sight of Elena rushing off to the washrooms. _

_Instinctively, Caroline rose from the bar stool, hesitating when, he assumed, she recalled their falling out. _

"Something's wrong," Caroline concluded, "with Elena."

_He noticed both Stefan and Damon looking on towards the washrooms worriedly. _

"Perhaps you should check on her?" he suggested.

_She looked at him unsure before looking back in the direction Elena had taken. _

_Nodding, she walked hurriedly after Elena._

* * *

_With Klaus's encouragement she sped to the washrooms without another second thought. _

_She had seen Elena's face. She knew something wasn't right. _

_Surprisingly, neither Damon nor Stefan stopped her from going after Elena. She supposed they were letting her go first since a girl entering the women's washroom was less conspicuous than one of them. They would if they had to though, she knew. _

_Aside from watching her with Klaus, Damon had been eyeing Stefan and Elena like a hawk all night. _

_Opening the door the washroom, she was shocked by the sight. _

_Elena was feeding hungrily off of an unsuspecting woman, a little older than themselves. _

"Oh my god! Elena! What are you doing?" she panicked, rushing towards the woman and pulling her from Elena's determined grasp.

_She literally had to push Elena away. _

_Elena stumbled back against the sinks as if in a trance, while she bit into her wrist and compelled the frightened woman to drink from her. She did, and the messy bite wound Elena had inflicted upon her neck quickly healed. _

"Give me a paper towel with some water on it so I can clean off the blood," she asked Elena, who seemed completely unresponsive. "Elena!" she repeated.

_Elena finally did as she asked and handed her some wet paper towel. She cleaned the blood from the woman's neck and then compelled her to forget about the attack and the aftermath. The woman nodded readily and happily, leaving the washroom as if nothing had happened. _

_She then cleaned herself up and Elena did the same. _

_They were both quiet. Elena was obviously ashamed and embarrassed. She was unsure if Elena even wanted her there. _

"Are you okay?" she said finally to Elena.

_Elena scoffed as she wiped the remaining blood from her lips. _

"Do I look like it?" Elena retorted. "Just leave me alone."

_She gave Elena a hurt but sympathetic look. _

"Stefan told me you were having trouble with the transition," she said.

_Elena glared at her, as if surprised that Stefan had told her anything. _

"I can't drink animal blood, I can't drink bagged blood; trouble is an understatement," Elena complained emotionally.

_In an effort to comfort her friend, she reached out for Elena's arm, but Elena recoiled. _

_She sighed disappointedly. _

"Elena, I know you're mad at me. I know you feel betrayed, and I'm so sorry. I just want to help you with this," she explained.

_Elena's eyebrow arched dismissively. _

"Those are all lovely words," Elena said sarcastically. "But I really don't need or want your help."

_She frowned. _

_Elena turned for the washroom door and she followed her out. _

"Elena will you ever forgive me? I just want us to be friends again," she said helplessly.

_Spinning back around, Elena glared at her. _

"I'll forgive you when you come to your senses and realize that you're making a huge mistake with Klaus," Elena spat.

_Stefan and Damon were there to greet Elena as they had been lingering just outside of the washroom foyer. _

"I need to leave," Elena said to the both of them.

_Damon clutched Elena by the upper arm and guided her towards the exit while she exchanged glances with Stefan before he followed behind them. _

_She didn't hold it against Stefan for leaving with Elena without taking a second to talk to her. She understood. _

_Scanning the room, she noticed Klaus seated at the edge of the bar nearest the washrooms. Judging by the scowl on his face, he had heard what had happened and what Elena had said. _

_When she approached, he was clearly fighting the urge to say something along the lines of 'I told you so.' Sure, he had encouraged her to go after Elena, but she knew he was still pessimistic about her goal to win her friends back. _

_Sitting beside him, he pushed a fresh drink in front of her. _

"I took the liberty of ordering you another drink," he said simply. "I thought you might need it."

_She thanked him thoughtfully, knowing it was his indirect way of lending his sympathies to her over the debacle with Elena. _

"Don't let it faze you love, it's her loss," he assured her.

_Nodding, she took a long sip of her drink. _

"Besides, it doesn't look like we'll be getting the hunter tonight. You still have more time," he pointed out.

_Looking around the restaurant, it appeared as though her other friends had all given up and decided to leave as well. _

"I'm beginning to wonder if any amount of time will change Elena's mind," she admitted ruefully.

_A drawn out sigh escaped his lips. It almost sounded like a sigh of guilt. _

_She found herself sighing too in response. _

"Let's just stop talking about Elena," she decided in an effort to clear the air.

_Despite the threat the hunter posed and the discouraging turn of events with Elena, she wanted to appreciate the fact that Klaus was sitting beside her right now. When she woke up this morning she would have never expected this to be how the day would end. She never anticipated having him in her corner regardless of how much she wanted it. Yet, here he was. He was full of surprises, she supposed. _

_He finished his drink and eyed her curiously._

_Without the looming judgemental looks from her friends to worry about, she leaned over and kissed the sensitive skin just below his ear. _

"Take me home?" she breathed, knowing the question would spark his interest.

_He smirked. _

"Are you trying to pick me up Miss Forbes?" he asked.

_She grinned. _

"Well the last time I asked you to take me home, it seemed to work perfectly well Mr. Mikaelson," she reminded him jovially.

"I remember," he mused.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked expectantly before sipping the rest of her drink.

_He rummaged through his wallet for money to pay their tab. _

"If you insist," he groaned, feigning complaint.

_She scoffed and pushed him playfully. _

"I do," she joked as she slid off the stool.

"I like it when you're bossy," he remarked with a laugh, tossing some money down on the bar top before following after her.

_And for a few moments, as they both rushed towards the exit excitedly, she felt normal, he felt normal. It felt like they were just another eager couple without concerns of Councils, vampire hunters, or scorned friends. _

_That was until she ran into Tyler and Hayley out front. _

_She froze instantly and her laughter quickly faded. _

"Come on, love," Klaus said as he emerged from the Grill and linked his arm with hers, his voice only faltering when he noticed who she had encountered.

_Hayley was smoking a cigarette while Tyler kept her company. _

_They both looked at her quietly. _

_She prepared herself for a confrontation, but Tyler surprised her with a simple curt nod. _

_Smiling faintly at him, she reciprocated Tyler's greeting. _

_Tyler and Klaus exchanged looks before Klaus tugged her arm softly in the opposite direction. _

_He walked her towards his SUV, but she hesitated. _

"Let's walk, instead," she suggested. "It's so mild out tonight."

_He seemed inclined to protest, but indulged her nonetheless. _

"You know it's quite a distance from here to your house," he pointed out.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Awe, muffin," she cooed, "I'm a vampire, you're a hybrid, a walk won't kill us," she giggled. "It's not that far."

_It was just something she wanted to do. She wanted to breathe in the fresh night air with him beside her. Aside from making love, it was one of the few things that made her feel alive. _

"You lived for centuries without the modern convenience of a car, you should be used to it," she teased.

_His eyes narrowed at her as they started their walk. _

"That doesn't necessarily mean I wish to relive that time," he chuckled.

_He took her hand in his and a tingling burst of air escaped her lungs. _

_It was a simple but intimate gesture, one they had yet to share until now. _

_She clasped her fingers through his before he had a chance to take it back. She could see the self-conscious look in his eyes as if he was only realizing now that his hand was around hers. _

_As they walked through town she recalled aloud various memories from each place, while he tried to trump her stories by proclaiming that at one point in time this whole area had been a dense forest that he and his brothers used to hunt in. _

"I wish they had pictures from that time," she mused. "I can't picture you or Elijah with long hair," she laughed.

"It's not something I like to be reminded of," he admitted.

"What? I'm sure you looked handsome," she assured him.

_He smirked. _

"You're biased," he pointed out.

"So?" she quipped with a smile.

_They continued walking. _

"Do you know who that girl was with Tyler?" Klaus questioned casually but curiously.

_She shrugged as she made a point of stepping over the cracks on the sidewalk. _

"Hayley...she was at the hospital the other day when I went to see Tyler. He says she helped him break the sire bond," she explained indifferently.

_The last thing she wanted to talk about was her now ex and the girl he had never mentioned when they were together. _

"Tell me more about what Mystic Falls _used_ to be like," she urged, interested to know about what his life had been like here and eager to change the subject.

_He shrugged as he tried to find something interesting to tell her. _

"Well...my brothers and I used to race up that hill," he said, pointing to the hill that they were approaching.

"And let me guess, you always won?" she assumed.

"Of course," he proclaimed proudly.

_She arched an eyebrow at him in disbelief. _

"What would Elijah say if I asked him?" she countered with a smirk.

_He laughed. _

"Elijah is a notorious liar. His word is not to be trusted," he defended.

_She joined him in his laughter, knowing how wrong that statement was. She sometimes thought that Elijah was the most honourable out of all of them. _

"We should race right now," she suggested as she pulled away from him and eyed the hill in the distance.

_He seemed surprised and amused by her light-hearted attitude. _

"You know I will win," he stated.

_She shrugged. _

"Prove it then," she challenged, knowing he had a weakness for dares.

"What does the winner get?" he wondered.

"The satisfaction of winning?" she proposed.

_He shook his head. _

"It's no fun without stakes, love," he argued. "If I win..." he thought before his lips curved into a smirk, "you'll let me paint you," he decided.

_She blushed, knowing exactly how he wanted to depict her. Sure, he had sketched her suggestively before, but that had been done without her knowledge. The prospect of posing in front of him while he painted her was much more daunting. _

"Fine," she relented, knowing that eventually she would have conceded to his request anyways.

"And if you win?" he asked.

_She smiled. _

"I have a vacancy in the prom date department," she said.

_He grumbled under his breath, but agreed to her terms nonetheless. _

"On the count of three," she started as she readied her body. "One...two..."

_He sped by her before she even had a chance to shout three. What a cheater, she thought amusedly as she tore off after him. He slowed purposely so she could catch up to him, only to increase his pace when she did. It was no matter anyways, because she decided to play him at his own game by jumping on his back just in time for him to reach the top of the hill – the makeshift finish line. _

_Pressing her forearms into the front of his chest, she shrieked with laughter and held on for dear life until he finally slowed and helped her by holding onto her legs by the backs of her knees. _

"It looks like I win," he proclaimed proudly.

_She shook her head. _

"You cheated! You started before I said three!" she complained over his shoulder, before being briefly subdued by the intoxicating scent of the fresh air and his cologne.

"You're the cheat," he protested. "You literally piggy-backed on my victory!" he laughed.

_She loved his laugh...his genuine laugh, not the one that was reserved for petty threats and alpha male posturing. _

"I only cheated because you cheated," she defended herself. "I think it's a draw."

_He scowled. _

"I really don't want to attend my sister's overblown prom production," he complained.

_She hit his chest with the flat of her palm as he continued to walk them towards her street. _

"It's my prom committee," she reminded him, "as much as your sister would like to forget that. It's just as much my 'overblown prom production' as it is hers."

"I still don't want to attend," he protested. "We might not even be here then."

_She frowned inwardly at his continued resolve to leave Mystic Falls as soon as possible despite his efforts to help her. Then she thought about what Rebekah had said to her earlier. _

"Don't you want to see me in a prom dress?" she cajoled.

_He shrugged. _

"I'd rather see you in a skimpy bikini on a beach in Thailand, far away from this place," he chuckled.

_She couldn't help but laugh at his comment and become excited by the prospect of the adventures that awaited them outside of this town. _

"Well, if we're still here, you won't have much choice. Rebekah has already volunteered your house as the venue," she smirked, knowing that his relaxed mood would prevent the full outraged reaction she expected.

_He gripped her legs a little tighter and she felt the muscles in his back tense against her chest. _

"She did what?" he asked.

"Rebekah volunteered your house to be the venue of the Mystic Falls High School senior prom," she clarified.

_He groaned bitterly._

"I won't let it happen," he said flatly.

_She scoffed. _

"If prom doesn't happen your painting won't happen," she reminded him mirthfully.

_He shook his head. _

"We'll see," he resolved as he approached her house with her still firmly attached to his back.

_She slid off of him and onto the sidewalk. _

"Thanks for the ride," she laughed.

"Nobody rides for free," he remarked as he followed her up to her porch.

_Arching her eyebrow suggestively, she rested her hands on her hips. _

"Well if you come inside, maybe we could call it even? You still owe me from earlier," she mentioned, hoping he didn't forget the state she had been left in earlier when they were interrupted.

_A small mischievous grin appeared on his lips. _

"I don't think your mother would approve," he said.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Since when did you start caring about approval?" she teased. "She picked up a night-shift and won't be home until morning. So as long as you're gone before then..." she trailed off, turning to unlock the door and step inside.

_When she turned on the hall light, she was only half surprised to see him already standing there expectantly in the hallway. _

_He approached her slowly, and extended his arm. She fully expected him to touch her, but was fooled when he reached past her to bring the front door closed behind her. _

_Goosebumps crawled up her skin when she heard the lock on the front door click. _"Where were we then?" he asked, the husky tone of his voice quite obviously indicating that he was referring to their earlier tryst in the alley.

_He circled behind her and removed her sweater as she slipped out of her shoes. _

_Brushing her hair aside, he kissed the back of her neck as he too stepped out of his shoes. _

_Eager to feel his lips on hers, she spun around to kiss him, taking him by surprise this time. He kissed her back greedily, his hands latching around her waist while hers tugged on the lapels of his black suit jacket. _

_She stumbled backwards towards her bedroom with enough force for him to release her. _

_Beckoning him with a curl of her index finger, he followed her readily to her room, his eyes set fixedly upon her. _

_It was dark in her room save for the light from the hallway and the streetlight pouring in through her curtains. _

"You look good in black," she mused as he reached her bedroom doorway.

_She outlined the collar of his jacket with her fingertips before removing it. _

"So do you, love," he purred as he allowed his fingers to travel along the edge of her shirt that contained the swell of her breasts. "But no clothing suits you best," he added, bringing his hands down to lift the tight blouse up over her torso.

_She raised her arms to allow the shirt to come off with ease, revealing to him the pink and black lace bra that had been hidden underneath. _

_Holding her against him, he traced kisses along her chest as he moved them further into her room__._

_While she had the arrangement of her room memorized, she was still startled when the backs of her legs hit her mattress. She fell back onto her bed in a sitting position. _

_He fought with the buttons of his shirt while she undid his belt. _

_His shirt fell to the ground before she even got to his pants. _

_Leaning over her, he consumed her lips in another frenzied kiss, as he undid the button of her pants before dropping to his knees in front of her to help her out of her jeans. _

_She lifted herself up from the bed so he could slide her pants easily down her thighs to her knees. _

_With that, he rolled the jeans over her calves before removing them from her legs completely. _

"Spread your legs for me, sweetheart," he instructed, and she quickly obliged him, so consumed by lust at this point that she was willing to do anything he asked of her.

_Heat flooded her centre as his hands ran up her shins, over her knees, and onto her thighs. _

_She was still wearing her bra and underwear, but she still felt so delightfully exposed in front of him like this. _

_When his lips made contact with the inside of her left thigh she shook. She shook again when his lips kissed her right thigh even though she was expecting it__._

_Though it was dark, she could see the glint of black and amber in his eyes as he neared the apex of her thighs with his eager tongue and lips. _

_The ache within her was almost painful by the time he pushed the soaked fabric of her underwear to the side. _

_He stroked a lone finger languidly over her folds both to her dismay and satisfaction. _

_When his tongue darted out against her clit simultaneously to the thrust of his finger inside of her, she let out a sharp moan and clenched her comforter as tightly as she could. _

_The sight of him between her legs alone was almost enough to render her undone. _

_Given the fact that she had been adequately teased earlier in the night, coupled with the expert movements of his tongue and fingers, the early tingle of her orgasm building didn't come as much of a surprise to her. _

_Running her fingers through his hair and whimpering softly for encouragement, she threw her head back and concentrated on the small jolts of pleasure each swirl of his tongue and stroke of his fingers sent through her body. _

_Her eyes shot open when his actions stopped prematurely. _

_She had been so close, and for a split second she wanted nothing more than to ring his neck. _

_Glaring down at him he smiled up at her deviously, before standing. _

"Twice tonight," she complained. "You know it's rude to interrupt a girl when she's on the brink of sexual bliss," she pouted.

_He chuckled as he began to undo his pants in front of her before letting them drop to the floor. _

"And it's rude of a girl to have her cake and eat it too," he countered playfully. "You can't have all the fun."

_Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried hard not to follow the ridges of muscle that led to the sight of his fully erect manhood. _

"You were the only one eating; very enthusiastically, I might add," she mused as she crawled back on her bed as he climbed over top of her.

"Well now I'm hungry for something else," he murmured as he dragged his lips up her stomach.

_She raised her legs instinctively when she felt his hands pull at the sides of her panties. _

_He then pushed the cups of her bra down granting him easy access to the pink buds of flesh previously covered by them. _

_Her back arched as he drew each nipple into his mouth and he took the opportunity to reach underneath and free her from the constricting article of clothing. _

_She shimmied the straps of the bra off her arms while he continued his ascent towards her neck. _

_When his thick erection pressed into the inside of her thigh her stomach dropped with excitement and anticipation. _

_He raised his head to look down at her after reaching her lips. _

_His eyes raked over the length of her body before returning to her self-conscious gaze. _

"You're perfect," he observed, as he settled himself in between her legs.

_The dim light of the room hid her blushing cheeks. _

_She held her breath when she felt his cock kiss her opening. _

"I need you," he admittedly lowly.

"I'm yours," she answered, knowing fully that their revelations were about more than just their sexual desires.

_Lifting her head, she kissed his lips lightly while he guided himself inside of her. _

_They exhaled deeply in unison as she accommodated his length and he adjusted to the feel of her surrounding him. _

_One of his hands dug into her thigh and the other rested beside her, holding him up above her. Her hands were wrapped tightly around his back while her legs were perched against his hips. _

_Letting her head fall back against her pillows, she cried as he filled her completely. _

_God, she had missed this, even if it had barely been a few days since they were last together, she thought. _

_She loved the way he seemed to fit inside her perfectly, and how their hips rocked together in concert with one another's. _

_The scent of his arousal and sweat combined with her own was exhilarating. _

_He leaned down to kiss her neck and lips while his free hand groped her breasts tenderly. _

"Ahhh, harder," she hissed.

_She griped the short locks of his hair while her fingernails of her other hand dug ardently into the small of his back as he quickened the pace of his thrusts. _

_His muscles were completely tense against her; even his jaw was locked firmly against her cheek as he panted hoarsely against her ear. _

"Don't stop," she pleaded.

"I wouldn't dream of it, love," Klaus answered.

_Releasing her claw-like grip on his back, she brought her hand up to clench the pillow beside her but hit his hand instead. _

_She looked up at him with uncertainty before she stifled her reluctance and tucked the flat of her palm underneath his. _

_He surprised her by weaving his fingertips through hers. _

_Kissing her yearningly, he ground his hips forcefully against hers. _

"I want you to cum for me, Caroline," he urged against her collarbone.

_His demand had impeccable timing. She was on the precipice of the orgasm she had been lusting after since earlier in the night. His steady strokes inside of her, along with the perfect fit of his pelvic bone against her clit, were sending her body barrelling after release. _

_Her free hand scraped down his back as the other clutched the palm of his hand desperately. _

"I'm so close," she whined against his lips.

_As she neared her climax, his thrusts slowed as he tried in earnest to hold on for her. _

_Both of them were trembling and gasping for air when her orgasm snuck up on her with the snap of little sparks firing off within her. _

"Klaus...yes," she moaned through semi-parted lips incoherently.

_Through the euphoria her features had darkened and her fangs emerged. Readily helping herself to the exposed flesh of his neck, she sunk her teeth into the skin and consumed his savory essence arduously. _

_He groaned loudly at the sensation of the bite. _

"Fuck," she heard him curse under his breath.

_With one last deep thrust, his body began to convulse against hers and before long she could feel his seed spilling inside of her. _

_He sat up, bringing her with him as she continued to drink from him. Taking her wrist of the hand that had been nearly crushed by his vice grip, he brought it up to his lips and penetrated her skin with his sharp fangs. _

_She winced a little at the initial pain of the bite, but eased quickly when she concentrated on the feeling of his blood entering her while her blood left her system for his. _

_Once her hunger was satisfied, her fangs retracted and her eyes relaxed into their usual soft expression. She kissed the fading bite mark on his neck and then watched him fixedly as he fed from her. _

_His eyes were clenched shut and he murmured quietly against her skin as though he was someone savouring their favourite meal. _

_She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as she traced small circles on his back with her free hand. _

_Yes, she never felt more alive than when they were together like this. _

_Knowing he could only drink from her for so long before his venom overpowered his blood she consumed, he freed her wrist from his bite. _

_He thumbed over her torn flesh until he was certain it would heal itself with his blood still rushing through her veins_

_She lifted her head back to look at him, his features no longer dominated by his hybrid side. _

_He dragged his finger under her lip, catching some of his residual blood. _

"Take it," he urged her, pressing the pad of his finger against her lips.

_She mused at the unnecessary worry in his voice before allowing her tongue to dart out and catch the small drops of blood on his skin. _

"I feel fine," she assured him as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "Better than fine," she laughed lazily before sucking on his bottom lip. "I think I just drank enough of your blood to fight off a million wolf bites."

_He smirked as he combed his fingers through her hair. _

"Love, the only bites you have to worry about are from a very particular hybrid," he said, nipping on her bottom lip. "Who also conveniently possesses the antidote."

_She smiled and kissed him again. _

"Do you think I'll ever get to see you in your wolf form?" she questioned curiously.

_While she meant her question light-heartedly, the air in the room seemed to turn serious. _

_He shook his head. _

"It's too dangerous," he explained.

"But you have the cure, remember?" she said.

_His head shaking persisted. _

"I don't trust it," he continued.

_She chuckled and pushed his shoulder lightly. _

"I bet you look cute and fluffy," she teased.

_He rolled his eyes as a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. _

"So you want me to transition into a wolf so you can completely emasculate me?" he mused.

_She laughed. _

"I'm far from cute or fluffy," he maintained as he pushed her back on the bed and towered over her with his best intimidating look.

"Okay! I believe you!" she exclaimed agreeably.

"Good," he remarked, before collapsing onto the bed beside her.

_She turned on her side and slid herself underneath his arm before boldly resting against his chest. _

_They lied there quietly like that for nearly twenty minutes. _

_By his steady breathing, she thought that perhaps he had fallen asleep, but when she looked up, his eyes were still open. _

"Do you think you'll ever come to your senses?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" she asked, initially confused by his question.

"Elena said she would only forgive you if you came to your senses about me," he clarified.

_She scoffed. _

"I'm not making a mistake with you," she said confidently. "Elena is the one who needs to come to her senses," she stated firmly.

_He appeared satisfied by her response. _

_Despite his outward secure demeanour, she was beginning to realize that he sometimes needed more reassurance from her than she needed from him. _

_A few more silent minutes went by before she decided to change the subject. _

"So tell me, what made you come to your senses and convince you to help me out with my friends and this hunter?" she asked.

_He shrugged. _

"Who do you think?" he scowled.

_She thought for a second. _

"Elijah," she beamed.

_He nodded. _

"Of course," he groaned.

_She smiled inwardly at the thought of Elijah talking to Klaus as he told her he would. He always seemed to know exactly what to say not only to Klaus, but to her as well. Elijah was the perfect voice of reason. _

"What did he say?" she pried, curious to know how Elijah got through to Klaus.

"That's none of your business," Klaus said quickly.

_While she was disappointed by his refusal to divulge what was said between them, she understood. _

"I bet he told you how awesome and right I am," she joked.

_He snorted at her cocky statement, which was a good sign. _

"Elijah is a good brother. You're lucky to have him," she pointed out, knowing that Elijah and Klaus had their fair share of differences.

_Klaus laughed heartily at her comment. _

"Of course you think he's a good brother. He always sides with you," he replied.

"Maybe that has something to do with it," she admitted. "But I really mean it."

_More silence flooded the room before she began to think about her friends, the plan to catch the hunter, and the concessions Klaus had made for her. _

"Thank you," she murmured.

"For what?" he asked.

_She lifted herself up so that she was looking down at him. _

"For deciding to help me," she explained.

_He acknowledged her polite gesture with a nod. _

"I'm doing it for myself as much as I am for you," he revealed cryptically as she laid back down.

"I know that you don't want to stay here...that it's dangerous," she continued. "So, if there hasn't been any progress with my friends or the hunter by graduation, I think we should leave," she conceded.

_Deep down she hoped things wouldn't come down to her suggestion. She truly wanted to make amends with her friends, help them deal with the hunter, and appease Rebekah in her endeavours to become the next Miss Mystic Falls, but she knew she had to compromise with Klaus. They couldn't remain here forever. _

_He seemed surprised by her idea. _

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I think it's fair," she concluded.

_He rose onto his side towards her and looked down. _

"I want you to know that my agreeing to help you does not come without conditions," he said.

_She tensed at his words, wondering what he could mean. _

"I will help you capture this hunter as a means to redeem yourself with your friends, but we do this over their dead bodies before it's over mine or yours, if it comes down to that," he explained. "I won't lose you," he declared with determined eyes. "I think that's fair," he added.

_After a few moments of contemplation, she relented to him with a nod. _

"Okay," she whispered in agreement as her eyes met his.

* * *

**A/N: So Klaus's little statement, "We do this over their dead bodies before it's over mine or yours" comes from a Jakob Dylan song, "Down On Our Own Shield," so I have to give credit where credit is due. I haven't been inspired lately by songs; but that song got a lot of plays as I wrote the latter half of this chapter for a few reasons, so check it out if you feel inclined. **

**As for another update, I'm at another crossroad with only vague direction, so another complete chapter might take some time. Like I've said, I know the ending I want to get to...it's getting there that's the struggle. **

**Let me know what you thought! Also, if you feel like sharing, I'm kind of curious to know how came across my fan-fiction in the first place...did you just find it browsing on fanfiction. net? Or did someone recommend it to you? etc, etc.  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hello lovely readers...just dropping you a late Christmas present (take it even if you don't celebrate Christmas, lol). Unfortunately, I didn't get to the point I wanted to with this chapter, but I decided to cut it off here. If I didn't, the chapter would have ended up being double the length and I probably wouldn't have had another update for a while. **

**While nothing extremely exciting happens in this chapter, it is definitely a tone setting chapter in terms of raising issues major/minor that will be addressed in the future. **

**I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless, and please pass me along a review. Even though this chapter is pretty simple, it took me forever to write for some reason, so I've been a little discouraged. I need some of your encouraging words. :D **

**Oh yeah, thanks to all of you who responded to my question in the last author's note! I appreciate it!**

* * *

"Caroline!" a muffled voice called.

_She opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light in the room. _

"It's nearly eight o'clock, are you up? You're going to be late for school," a voice she finally recognized as her mother's called.

_Her stomach dropped with panic when she felt a warm body shift beside her; Klaus. _

_She shot up in bed. _

"Yeah, mom, I'm getting dressed," she replied hurriedly, hoping that would stop her mom from entering.

"Okay, sweetie. I'm heading to bed," her mother responded.

_Listening intently as her mother's footsteps headed for her own bedroom, her breathing relaxed. _

"Oh my god," she gasped under her breath, falling back against her pillow.

_She glanced over at Klaus who was resting on his stomach, looking at her with an amused expression. _

"You were supposed to leave before morning," she chided, pushing his shoulder while he yawned.

_He rolled onto his side to completely face her, flashing her an irresistible dimpled smirk. _

"You were the one who begged me to stay," he reminded her, leaning in to kiss her shoulder. "I was only giving you what you asked."

_He climbed out of her bed and began to gather up his clothes and she had to take a second admire his naked form. _

_She smiled, recalling her refusal to let him leave the night previous. _

"I didn't mean all night," she argued as she sat up. "My mom could have just walked in on us."

_He shrugged with a laugh while he pulled on his pants. _

"Your innocent desire to appease your mother is truly charming sweetheart," he mused. "But the last time I checked, you're a vampire. What could she really do to punish you?" he asked casually as he buttoned up his shirt. "Give you a time out?" he suggested as he climbed back onto the bed and settled over top of her.

_He kissed her lips teasingly, barely making contact. _

"Can we take a time out?" she retorted in her best seductive voice, before leaning up to kiss him harder.

_Smirking into the kiss, he pulled away. _

"Naughty girl," he hissed. "I think a time out is too lenient. Perhaps a spanking is in order?" he half joked, clearly amused and turned on by their flirtatious banter all at once.

_She felt the same way. _

_It was amazing how a simple playful exchange between them could leave her core tingling. _

_Giggling, she swatted at his chest. _

"While a spanking sounds strangely appealing coming from you, can we postpone the 'punishment'? It'd be nice to actually be on time for class today and I think you have already overstayed your welcome," she smirked.

_He pouted and she took the opportunity to kiss his lips. _

"Fine," he groaned jokingly as he climbed back off the bed and finished dressing.

_She followed suit, deciding to give him a bit of peep show before they parted ways for the day._

_Climbing out of bed, she let the flimsy cotton sheet drop from her naked torso. _

_As she approached her closet and dresser, she could hear a drawn out sigh escape him. _

"It's rude to stare," she laughed, spotting his lustful look through her mirror, before rummaging through her underwear drawer, knowing that a shower would have to wait until after school due to the time constraint.

_Without looking up, she flinched, knowing he had flashed directly behind her. _

_He ran a finger down her spine__,__ retreating just as he reached the ticklish skin above her bottom. _

"And it's rude to be a tease," he chided mirthfully before kissing the crook of her neck and pressing himself firmly against her.

"But you love it," she pointed out, fighting the urge to close her eyes and encourage him to have his way with her once more.

_He snaked a hand over her shoulder and reached into her drawer, pulling out a deep red and black coloured thong. _

"Wear this sometime," he urged with a rough whisper against her ear.

_Her cheeks burned at his suggestion before she hastily grabbed the lingerie from his hand. _

"Will I see you later?" she asked as she settled for a more modest bra and underwear combination.

"I suspect sooner rather than later," he said mischievously.

_She turned to confront him about what he meant, but before a question could be asked, he was already gone. _

_Frowning, she continued getting ready before quietly sneaking past her mother's room to the kitchen to grab a small glass of blood to sate that hunger for the rest of the day. She didn't need much. Surprisingly, she could still sense Klaus's blood running through her veins._

* * *

_When she arrived in the school parking lot, she noticed Matt sliding out of a shiny new dark blue truck. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pulled into the spot next to his. Maybe he would talk to her a little more. _

_She got out of her car quickly with the intention of bumping into him on their way into the school. _

"Hey nice truck," she observed quickly, not wanting to lose his attention. "Is it a rental?" she asked as he stepped up from the curb and onto the grassy school yard.

_He seemed a little bashful but too pleased with it nonetheless for it to be a rental. _

_She could tell that he was hesitating about whether or not to talk to her. _

"No...actually Rebekah got it for me," he said anxiously, likely self-conscious about what she thought.

_Her eyebrows rose in surprise. _

"Oh, Rebekah," she started.

_He nodded reluctantly. _

"It's nothing," he shrugged, speaking to her as though he had forgotten the awkwardness that had settled between them ever since he found out about Klaus. "She just bought it for me, I didn't ask for it," he explained, "and considering she caused me to drive my last uninsured truck off of Wickery bridge, I figure it's probably the least she could do," he said.

_They walked into the building and she noticed Rebekah staring at them from her locker. She went unnoticed by Matt as he greeted a few of the other guys from the football team. _

"Does Rebekah know it's nothing?" she asked interestedly.

_She stopped with Matt at his locker. _

"I don't know, and to be honest, I don't care," he said bluntly as he opened his locker. "Just like she didn't care when she decided to run Elena and I off the road."

_Sighing, she couldn't help but notice Rebekah's hopeful stare in the distance. _

_For some insane reason she felt sorry for Klaus's sister. _

_She said nothing more to Matt though, the fact that he was even talking to her was a miracle and she didn't want to overstep or back pedal on this progress. _

"Well, I better run and get my calculator and textbook, see you in math," she said quickly as she shuffled through the busy crowd of students for her locker.

_When she arrived to class Matt was already there. However, Bonnie was absent. _

_She sat down at her seat and organized her books, waiting hopefully for Matt to speak to her again. _

_Maybe it was a onetime thing. Maybe he realized that he was talking to the 'enemy' after she left his locker and decided to continue with the silent treatment. _

"I wonder where Bonnie is..." he said casually.

_She felt a tinge of relief and excitement as he spoke. He was talking to her. One of her friends, aside from Stefan, was speaking to her. _

"I don't know," she started, "I'm the last one brought into the loop," she said, hoping her comment wouldn't alienate him.

_He nodded. _

"I haven't seen Elena around either," he pointed out.

_She shrugged. _

"Well she had a rough night last night..." she trailed off, recalling her confrontation with Elena in the washroom at the Grill.

"Yeah, Jeremy told me what happened," he said, a small frown appearing on his face.

_She could tell in that moment he felt guilty. _

"None of it is your fault, Matt," she assured him.

_He didn't seem convinced, but he nodded nonetheless _

"I wish I could do something, but she made it clear last night that she doesn't want my help," she sighed.

"I think she does," he said. "She's just having trouble wrapping her head around your thing with Klaus," Matt explained.

_Matt's mention of Klaus made her anxious, and she bit her lip as she pondered whether to delve into that topic of conversation. _

"What about you?" she asked vaguely.

_He gave her a confused look. _

"Have you wrapped your head around my 'thing' with Klaus?" she wondered.

_Matt let out a prolonged sigh as he tapped his fingers against the edge of his desk. He looked as nervous as she did. _

"I'm trying," he admitted. "I...mean...what you did to Tyler was wrong..."

_She nodded in agreement. What she did to Tyler was wrong. _

"But...I think it's wrong of me to hold your feelings for Klaus against you. Especially when Elena has feelings for two vampires who are probably just as bad as Klaus when put together..." he paused as if reluctant to continue. "...and when I can't seem to shake Rebekah even though she nearly killed me," he said laughing shakily at himself and eyeing her intently signalling to her that the last part was not something he wanted shared.

_She tried hard to tame the smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips. _

"And I mean, judging from last night, Klaus seems to have your back; he wants to help us catch this hunter. He looks like he makes you happy," he observed.

"He does..." she said, her voice faltering when the teacher arrived and announced the start of class.

_The interruption from the teacher was inconvenient. She wanted to continue her conversation with Matt while things were moving in her favour. The break in their talk might cause Matt to reassess what he had said and change his mind. _

_Of course, the class dragged on forever just when she was most eager for it to end so she could gauge where she and Matt now stood. _

_Once the bell finally rang to signal the end of class, she watched Matt from the corner of her eye as she gathered her things. _

_When it seemed as though he was getting ready to leave, she spoke up to stop him. _

"Matt," she said, causing him to turn around.

"Thanks for trying," she offered simply.

_He gave her a small smile. _

_She went to head for the door, not wanting to linger too long. She didn't want to seem overbearing about things. _

"Care," he called.

_Turning around, she gave him a questioning glance as other classmates began to file past her hurriedly for the exit. _

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Last night, after all of you left, the guy – the hunter – he showed up," Matt revealed.

_Her eyes widened. _

"Why didn't you text me?!" she exclaimed. "What happened? Did he say anything to you?" she asked quickly, but quietly so other exiting students wouldn't overhear her.

"It was just before close so I was the only one there. He was watching me like a hawk, I didn't want to do anything that might get me thrown across the alley again," he chuckled. "But when he went to pull money from his wallet to pay his bill, I noticed something," he said.

"What?" she asked anticipatorily.

"There was a card in his wallet; for the hotel on the outskirts of town," he told her.

_She was intrigued. _

"The resort?" she confirmed.

_Matt laughed. _

"The only decent hotel in Mystic Falls," he mused. "I mean, he's probably not staying there...it's too pricey...and obvious, but," he shrugged.

- "It could be worth looking into," she said decidedly.

_He seemed displeased by her enthusiasm. _

"Maybe you should get Klaus to look into it," he suggested, "This hunter isn't a joke, Caroline. You didn't see how he took down Tyler. Klaus is stronger, let him handle it."

_She frowned slightly at his recommendation to leave this to Klaus instead of following up on it herself, but deep down she knew he had a point. Besides, if the hunter didn't kill her Klaus surely would for going after him alone. _

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll tell him about it," she agreed.

_Matt smiled, probably satisfied that he had quelled her determination. _

"This could be promising, Matt," she acknowledged. "You did good."

_He shrugged. _

"I was just lucky my eyes were in the right spot at the right time," he corrected.

_She smiled back at him. _

"Keep me posted," he requested.

"I will," she said genuinely, "thanks," she repeated.

_They said their good-byes and both headed off for their next class._

* * *

_When lunchtime came around she walked confidently to the next prom meeting with Rebekah. Not only did she have her conversation with Matt to lift her spirits, yesterday night before she left for the Grill she sat down and compiled a detailed list of all her ideas for prom to share with Rebekah. She wasn't about to let Rebekah get the better of her when it came to prom. This was her prom committee too. _

_Rebekah was completely flabbergasted when she promptly took over the meeting and began presenting her ideas to the other girls. All the girls were receptive to her ideas for food, table settings, centrepieces, flowers...everything, and she couldn't help but smile at Rebekah's seething expression amongst all the enthusiastic ones. _

_Consensus also meant that Rebekah was volunteered to do all the dirty work__,__ which meant phone calls and e-mails to various local caterers, event planning businesses and DJ's. While Rebekah faked a smile and contacted the services she had outlined, she and the other girls went over timelines, schedules, playlists, and organization. Their next task would be to pay a visit to the Mikaelson house to determine the exact layout for everything. She and Rebekah would have to ensure that Klaus wasn't there when they did. She wasn't sure if Klaus could handle it. _

_Once the meeting was over, and the other girls left, she could feel the air being sucked from the room along with them. If looks could kill, she thought as she noticed Rebekah staring her down from the other side of the classroom. _

"When I said I wanted you to be more enthusiastic, I didn't mean take over the whole committee," Rebekah growled as she slammed her laptop shut.

_She shrugged as she organized the notebook of ideas and tasks the group had compiled. _

"Sorry, when I decide to commit to something I don't do it half-speed," she said. "We're all here to achieve the same goal, so I don't really see the big deal. Besides, I think the ideas we put together are awesome and we made a lot of progress today," she concluded proudly.

"Correction, I made a lot of progress today. I was the one making the important calls; and let's not forget, I'm the one who volunteered the perfect prom venue," Rebekah competed.

"Correction, you're the one who volunteered the perfect prom venue that belongs to your brother," she mused.

_Rebekah's eyes narrowed. _

"Well I hope your new found enthusiasm doesn't mean you'll be entering for prom queen, because that's clearly my title," Rebekah stated firmly.

_To be honest, she hadn't even really thought much about prom queen at this point, even if it had been a high school dream of hers. It wasn't something significant to her now, but she had the urge to fight Rebekah for it just because she wanted it. _

"We'll see," she smirked, knowing her cryptic statement would send Rebekah reeling on the inside. "Oh yeah, would you mind putting me in touch with that dressmaker you mentioned? I know its short notice, but..."

_While Rebekah seemed reluctant now to give her access to an advantage, she could tell that Rebekah was more flattered that she had decided to follow up on a suggestion she had made. _

"I see you've wised up and tossed out the idea of shopping for a pitiful off-the-rack dress, opting for my alternative instead," Rebekah bragged.

_Of course, Rebekah would never just politely help her out. She had to rub it in that she had decided to take her advice. _

_She nodded to Rebekah. _

"I'll call him after next period," Rebekah said, almost excitedly.

"Thanks," she offered.

"What colour were you thinking?" Rebekah wondered.

_The colour of her dress was not something she had considered either. _

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Something understated, soft, elegant," she listed. "No bold colours; I don't think they'd suit the atmosphere we're going for," she added.

"Well so long it's not some obscure animal print or pale blue like mine, I think any other choice will be suitable," Rebekah said.

_She laughed at the mental image of herself dressed in slinky leopard print prom dress. _

"So judging by your chipper attitude and the fact that Niklaus did not return home last night, I'm going to assume you made amends with my brother?" Rebekah started.

_Her cheeks reddened and she smiled but she said nothing. _

"Elijah told me that they confronted the Council last night, and that Nik was going to try and lure the hunter out. I guess you got your way," Rebekah pointed out.

"And I guess you got yours as well," she replied, referring to the fact that by Klaus staying to help her, Rebekah would inadvertently be able to stay here and pursue what she wanted.

_Rebekah nodded with a pleased grin. _

"So it would seem," Rebekah replied. "Any success with the hunter?" she asked.

_She shook her head. _

"He made a brief appearance, but he was gone before we could do anything. I think Klaus scared him off," she revealed to Rebekah.

_Rebekah laughed amusedly. _

"My brother seems to have that effect on everyone, aside from you I suppose," Rebekah remarked. "I just hope he doesn't decide to scare all the prom guests away when he finds out prom is at our place," she joked.

"Klaus knows about prom," she told Rebekah.

_She saw Rebekah's face go pale instantly as her expression darkened. _

"You told him!?" Rebekah demanded as she covered her face stressfully with her hands. "I was just gonna leave it until the day of so he wouldn't have a chance to protest."

_It amused her for a second at how dramatic Rebekah was being, but she had to remind herself of the kind of stubborn person Klaus could be. _

"It's okay Rebekah. He wasn't impressed with the idea, but he wasn't opposed to it either," she assured Klaus's sister.

_Rebekah let out a long sigh of relief as her eyes softened. _

"You could have sabotaged the entire prom," Rebekah stated.

"It just slipped. Besides, telling him now was probably better than waiting until the last minute," she argued.

"Whatever, what's done is done. I suppose you'll have to sweet talk him in the meantime to reinforce his decision," Rebekah scoffed. "Did he agree to be your date too, or is that why you were talking to Matt this morning?" she asked curiously.

_She glared at Rebekah in disbelief and nearly erupted into laughter at Rebekah's presumption about her conversation with Matt. That explained her devil eyes this morning. Rebekah had it bad. _

"It's probably gonna take a bit more convincing to get your brother to attend the high school prom being held at his house, but I think we reached a compromise. So no, to answer your question, Matt is not my back-up prom date; that's not why I was talking to him," she clarified.

_The worried features on Rebekah's face seemed to ease. _

"Oh..." Rebekah trailed off meekly, obviously embarrassed.

"This is actually the first time he's talked to me in a while," she confessed. "I'm hoping we can get our friendship back on track," she continued, only noticing when she was finished talking that Rebekah was staring off into space, not even really listening to her.

_She didn't even need to hear Rebekah's thoughts to know she was thinking about Matt. _

"I saw the truck you bought him," she said, hoping to catch Rebekah's attention.

_Rebekah's eyes darted back to hers as if snapping out of a trance. _

"You did?" she said, still a little absent.

"That was nice of you," she offered.

"Do you think he likes it?" Rebekah asked self-consciously.

_While she couldn't be completely positive, she had a feeling there was more to Rebekah's question than Matt's truck preference. _

"You mean do you think he likes it enough to possibly be your prom date?" she clarified.

_She noticed Rebekah's cheeks redden, and for a moment it seemed as though Rebekah was angry with the spin she had put on her words, but she nodded instead. _

_Rebekah's hopeful look and the reality of what she had done to Matt left her in a tough spot. She didn't know what to say. While Matt had acknowledged a lingering something for Rebekah, that didn't mean he was ready to forgive her and act on it. While there was a part of her that truly did not want to see Rebekah upset over Matt, there was another part urging her not to give Rebekah any false hope. _

"I think the truck was a step in the right direction," she said optimistically before wincing slightly, "but to be honest, I think it's probably going to take a bit more for him to come around."

_She fully expected Rebekah to react impatiently and to not understand, but her solemn nod seemed to suggest she got it. _

"I never wanted to hurt him," she confessed. "I was angry. I was sad. I thought Nik had been killed and I thought Alaric was still out there hunting my siblings and I. Killing Elena was the easiest way to defend myself. I know it doesn't make what I did right, but I had to defend my family. After thinking I had lost Nik, I couldn't bear the thought of losing Elijah or Kol," Rebekah added.

_As she listened to Rebekah, she felt herself empathizing with her. She had hated Rebekah for what she did to Matt and Elena, and yet she pitied her. Had she been in Rebekah's position, she might have done the exact same thing without a second thought if it meant saving those she loved the most. And while she never condoned Matt with Rebekah, she suddenly found herself wanting to help Rebekah. _

"Give Matt some time. Maybe tell him what you told me if he's willing to listen," she suggested.

_Rebekah huffed in subtle frustration and longing just as the bell rang warning students to end their lunches and head to their next class._

* * *

_He entered the house through the garage, hoping to enter his study without interruption from Elijah. _

_Despite all efforts to frown, an unintended smirk rested comfortably on his face. No matter what he thought about, he could not seem to shake it. He tried to think of anything that would upset him, but his subconscious continued to drag his thoughts back to her. _

_Sure, they had not captured the hunter last night as he planned, and Elena seemed to drag the entire night down, but overall it had been a success in other ways. The image of a particular blonde beauty writhing beneath him was clear evidence of that. From there, his mind rewound to their immature race up the same hill he and his brothers used to run up; their bet; and then the later compromise she later made for him. _

_Ultimately as he reached his study, his mind settled upon their brief morning together. Her bed was almost small enough to be suffocating, but oddly he appreciated it. He didn't mind the feeling of her pressed up against him. More so, he revelled in their morning flirtation. Normally he was an impatient man. He didn't usually like to be teased. With Caroline it was different. He enjoyed her games, even if they left him with a dull ache in his groin after the fact. He was eager to play along; he wanted to savour her. _

_Still, there was a part of him – the impatient part – that regretted not bending her over and taking her right there against her dresser - the top drawer of which was apparently a treasure trove of lovely undergarments – regardless if her mother was home. _

_His grin grew a little more as he recalled slipping into his shoes in the front hall of her house this morning before he left. No doubt those same shoes had been there when Caroline's mother arrived home from her shift; and no doubt she had seen them. Their size and style would not be unnoticed in a house only occupied by women – especially when one was a police officer trained to possess an acute eye for detail. The realization made him curious and a little embarrassed. Why had Caroline's mother not stormed in on them to enforce her stringent rules set for her daughter in regards to male overnight guests? Perhaps she had waited to confront her daughter until after he left? Though, she really wasn't one to be intimidated by him, seeing as she had confronted him here in his own home about his relationship with her daughter. While he thought the idea of a human making rules for a vampire was silly, he had still felt keen to adhere to them, if only to keep Caroline's mother on his side. He didn't need to deal with the added tension. Despite that, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought about Caroline's mother confronting her about it at some point. _

_As he strolled into his study, he was met with Elijah's intrigued stare, as he looked up from a laptop he was working on at his desk. _

_A grin appeared on Elijah's face as he closed the lid of the computer and sat back in the chair, watching him intently. _

_Elijah was also someone finely attuned to detail. He possessed the pesky talent of being able to read people like books. _

_He watched as Elijah looked down at his watch for show, before looking back up at him with the same amused expression. _

"Good morning, Niklaus," Elijah greeted him before stretching out his hands and resting them behind his head.

"Morning, brother," he replied, stepping further into the room, ready to ask Elijah why he was in his study at all.

"Judging by the smirk on your face and the fact that you're only returning home now at this hour, in last night's clothes no less, I'm inclined to conclude that your plan to draw the hunter out was a success, or that you made amends with Miss. Forbes; or perhaps both?" Elijah wondered.

_He collapsed into one of the chairs facing Elijah and shrugged nonchalantly. _

"My plan to draw the hunter out was only partially successful in that the particular sequence of events last night prevented me from detaining him. It's no matter, there will be other opportunities. I found out some very interesting information about this particular hunter though, so the night was not wasted," he shrugged. "And yes, although it is none of your business, after Caroline got over the fact that we confronted the Council and I had originally planned to lure out the hunter without her, we resolved our issues and we went back to her place for the evening," he explained.

_The knowing look on Elijah's face told him that he was well aware of what he meant by 'resolved their issues.' He would spare Elijah the details not only for Caroline's modesty but also because he didn't have that type of relationship with Elijah anymore. At one point in time he and Elijah had been each other's closest confidants. They were so open about their sexual conquests – even after their issues with Tatia. They had both sworn off love but not its physical expression, and they had encouraged one another. At least until Katerina Petrova. While he was sure Elijah was far from celibate, he no longer engaged him in such discussions. Then again, he suspected that might have something to do with the fact that he had Elijah sealed in a coffin for some time than Katerina. _

"I told you brother that Caroline would not be pleased that you wanted to handle the hunter on your own," Elijah reminded him.

_Indeed, after their venture to the Council, Elijah had said something along those lines after he had informed him of his plans at the Grill. _

"Well, last night we reached a compromise of sorts," he said simply, provoking Elijah's eyebrows to rise interestedly.

"I did not think compromise was in your vocabulary, Niklaus," Elijah mused.

_He rolled his eyes in response to his brother's jabs. _

"I agreed to not be so overbearing..." he started.

"And what did Caroline offer you in return?" Elijah wondered as he pressed his fingertips together.

"If no progress has been made with her friends or the hunter by prom, she agreed to leave Mystic Falls with me then," he finished explaining.

_Elijah appeared surprised. _

"That surprises you?" he asked Elijah.

_Elijah shrugged and sat back against the desk chair. _

"Prom isn't really that far away...at least that's the impression I got from Rebekah's ceaseless chatter about the subject," Elijah said.

_He ran his hands along his pants as he wondered if Caroline would really follow through with her word if prom came and no progress had really been made. _

"She gave me her word. I think she's growing discouraged with her pig-headed friends. She and Elena exchanged heated words last night at the Grill. The doppelganger seems far from interested in reconciliation. Caroline has been nothing but humble and understanding. That kind of patience can only last so long," he observed.

_Elijah nodded. _

"Indeed," Elijah agreed. "So what have you learnt about the hunter?" he asked curiously.

_He looked at Elijah seriously for a moment; a subtle way of indicating to his brother that this information was serious and to be kept between them. _

"He has the hunter's mark. It's invisible now apparently, but interestingly, Jeremy Gilbert has a knack for seeing invisible tattoos," he revealed.

_Elijah's mouth went slack with shock and interest. _

"There's more..." Elijah realized.

_He stood up from the chair and began to pace in front of his brother. _

"I guess the five that I killed and endured decades of hallucinations over have descendants," he concluded.

"The cure..." Elijah said absent-mindedly to himself.

"The hunter must be found and secured," he said determinedly.

_Elijah looked at him suspiciously. _

"To protect the cure or to destroy it?" Elijah asked inquisitively.

"Perhaps both," he offered cryptically.

_Elijah eyed him intently. _

"You want to use the cure on Elena for her blood?" Elijah assumed.

_He stared pensively at the wood grain of the desk as he considered Elijah's question and thought back to the night Rebekah had destroyed his last remaining doppelganger blood. _

"More hybrids means protection; protection for Caroline; something even more imperative now that the five appear to be reincarnated," he said.

"You know how Caroline feels about hybrids and the methods needed to create them, brother," Elijah reminded him.

_His brows furrowed. _

"Well perhaps she'll be a little more receptive when Elena gratefully gives her blood willingly to me and forgives Caroline in exchange for the cure? These hunters are a serious threat; not so much to us, but to her," he argued with Elijah and to himself.

_He could tell Elijah was as conflicted as he was about the issue. _

"So you've not told Caroline about this?" Elijah asked.

_He shook his head, not surprised when Elijah gave him a critical stare. _

"She should know, if not for the implications it could have on her relationship with you and Elena, then for the simple fact that if she gets the chance to kill this hunter, she could end up suffering through the same hallucinations you did all those years ago," Elijah warned.

"I know," he replied. "I will tell her when the time is right. This is not insignificant information. The cure could easily be used as a weapon against us," he emphasized.

_Elijah nodded, knowing the last thing he wanted was to be returned to his human state. _

"Are you afraid that Caroline may want the cure?" Elijah wondered.

_He tensed instantly with Elijah's question. The possibility of Caroline wanting the cure unsettled him, and he realized then that was a part of his hesitation. While what the cure for Elena and more hybrids could mean for his relationship with Caroline concerned him, the possibility that Caroline might desire the cure concerned him more. _

_Shrugging off his brother's question, he chuckled. _

"Why would she want to cure herself of being a powerful immortal?" he mused, although he already knew the answer to his question.

"The same reason anyone might consider curing themselves...to lead an average life, to appreciate time, to have a family...to fit in, I suppose," Elijah listed.

_He scoffed. _

"What if Caroline wanted the cure?" Elijah proposed.

_His eyes darkened and narrowed as he thought about what that might mean. _

"I suppose it would be her mistake to make," he said flatly, no longer interested in his conversation with his older brother. "Enough about the cure, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he hissed. "Now, care to tell me why you were in my study in the first place?" he asked, an obvious attempt to change the subject.

_Elijah glanced at him apprehensively, still seemingly intent on discussing the conflict that could arise should Caroline desire the cure. Sighing, he seemed to concede to his wish to talk about something different. _

"Well, one of the Council members, the editor-in-chief of the _Mystic Falls Daily_, was here to do an interview with me," Elijah mused.

_He laughed, confused by the twist of events. _

"I guess our impromptu presence at the last Council meeting was a success. He seemed eager to bury the hatchet. He wanted to do a profile piece on me, Mystic Falls' biggest and most recent benefactor," Elijah explained.

_He laughed harder at Elijah's self-description. _

"My profile will be right behind the profile of revered Council member, Jacob Stevens, who died suddenly at the last Council meeting of a heart attack," Elijah continued.

"Heart attack?" he questioned amused. "How curious?" he said further as he headed for the doorway. "He wasn't that old."

_Elijah smirked. _

"Where are you off to now, brother?" Elijah asked.

_He snickered. _

"To shower and dress; I have a certain blonde vampire – who isn't our sister – to check in on," he said vaguely.

* * *

_She and Rebekah walked to their next period together – history. She was surprised to see Stefan already there since he had been absent during their English class. Given what Elena had gone through last night, she expected Stefan would be with her. _

_Taking her seat, she eyed Stefan sympathetically. _

"Hey," she said softly.

_Stefan acknowledged her with a short nod. _

"I didn't see you in English..." she trailed off, hoping her open ended statement would lead to more information on Elena's status.

"I was seeing Elena off," he said. "Bonnie's going to Whitmore College to meet up with the professor who took over her grams' classes there. Elena decided to tag along...and so did Damon. After what happened last night, we decided it might be a good idea to try things Damon's way. He wants to show her how to feed from a human without killing them," Stefan explained.

_She looked at Stefan worriedly. Not only did she fear for what might happen to Elena on this adventure, but she also feared what might happen between Elena and Damon. The look on Stefan's face told her that he was worried about the exact same things. _

"Maybe it could be a good thing," she suggested optimistically.

_Stefan nodded hopefully. _

"So I guess Klaus came around, huh?" Stefan asked, clearly referring to Klaus's plan to lure the hunter out at the Grill.

"He and Elijah confronted the Council to get them to back down. Now I guess it's onto plan B to get the hunter since last night didn't go as expected," she said.

_She noticed Stefan's lips purse with confusion. _

"What changed his mind?" he wondered.

_She shrugged._

"I guess the thought of me taking on the hunter and the Council by myself," she surmised.

"He's worried about you," Stefan concluded.

_She nodded. _

"In an overbearing sort of way, yeah, I guess he is," she agreed.

_Stefan chuckled a little before his facial expression turned to one of surprise as he looked past her towards the door. _

"What?" she asked as she turned around in her seat.

_Rebekah looked equally stunned as her eyes darted past her to see Klaus himself standing at the front of the classroom. _

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I know on the real TVD show, I don't even think Caroline is in Stefan and Elena's history class. Moreover, I think it's like their first class of the day not in the afternoon, but use your lovely imaginations. **_  
_


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: AHHHH 500 reviews! You guys are so effing amazing! Your reviews are really a great motivator. My sooner than expected update has to be proof of that. **

**Honestly, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I really hope you enjoy it too. As usual, I didn't get to where I wanted to with it, but I do like where I ended it. **

**Please, I'm a huge review whore. I'm desperate to know what you think. **

**Oh yeah, happy New Year folks! **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Klaus dropped his messenger bag on the desk chair and pulled a few books and papers out. _

"Class, it appears as though I'll be Alaric Saltzman's replacement until the end of the term," he proclaimed as he sifted through a few a notebook. "While I hold several doctorates, I never did like the title 'doctor,' so just call me Mr. Mikaelson," he stated, eyeing the class, but letting his sights linger on her a little too long.

_He looked down and tried to contain a smirk, having obviously noticed her disdainful and confused expression. _

"I suppose overbearing is an understatement," she growled under her breath to Stefan as she glared at Klaus who was now purposely ignoring her.

_Reaching into his bag, Klaus completed his teacher-look with a set of black framed glasses. _

_She scoffed aloud at how ridiculous this was. Since when did he wear glasses? What was he getting at? This was obviously fun to him; a game to play. The amused look on his face said as much. _

_Rebekah mouthed a 'what the fuck?' in her direction, but she could only shrug. _

_Of course, this was another one of Klaus's spontaneous plans that he had not indulged her in. She was sure that had been intentional. If any planning had gone into this at all, she knew telling her had not been on his agenda. It wouldn't be hard to predict her reaction to something as senile as this. _

_She supposed that's what he meant when he said that he would see her sooner than later. _

"What the hell is he doing?" Stefan whispered to her.

"I don't know," she said as she lowered her head and looked to Stefan anxiously.

_Her attention returned to Klaus when she heard his throat clear. He was staring directly at her and Stefan, along with the rest of the class. _

"Is your conversation finished? If you don't mind, I'd like to start the class by taking attendance," Klaus said to them sternly.

_She eyed the rest of her classmates sheepishly before crossing her arms and glowering at Klaus. He was intentionally trying to push her buttons, she knew. _

_Satisfied by her silence, Klaus began to read down the class list of names. _

_As she waited for her name to be read, she glanced around the room for anything out of place or unusual. The only thing she noticed was the ogling and quiet giggling that the female half of the classroom was doing in lieu of their new teacher. _

_She scowled. No, she wasn't jealous. She had learned to keep that emotion in check when she turned. If anything she pitied them. If they only knew, she thought to herself. _

_Admittedly, the girls had a good point though. Despite efforts to channel all her emotion into a slow building rage to be unleashed on him later, as she watched and listened to him take attendance, some of her emotion was being pushed into a feeling she had fought so hard to resist with him: attraction. _

_While she had no intention of gratifying him with that admission, it couldn't hurt to admire him from afar. _

_His dark golden hair was mussed in a stylish sort of way, he had a five o'clock shadow going, but she liked that; it suited him. Even his choice of clothing was impeccable. A grey sports coat hung open over his shoulders, framing a white collared shirt and black tie, while the dark wash jeans he wore made him relatable and accessible to the student body. And the glasses...she may have scorned his overblown attempts to play the part, but they definitely completed the look and accentuated his face and eyes. Since when did she have a thing for guys who wore glasses? She groaned to herself. She supposed since Klaus Mikaelson had decided to wear a pair. _

_Sighing, she lost herself in a daydream of his charming looks, swearing not to get close to him since the scent of his cologne would surely do her in. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as a familiar heat began to warm her core with the sight of Klaus as he currently was, coupled with thoughts of their most recent tryst. Her mind quickly descended into the gutter as she thought about the panties Klaus had suggested she wear sometime and his threats to spank her. She clenched her legs together as she crossed them under her desk, trying hard to ignore the tingle she felt with the memories or with the mental image of her bent over Klaus's desk now that he decided he wanted to play teacher...wait...oh my god...she did not just think that did she? She was disgusting. This was Alaric's classroom. _

"Caroline? Caroline Forbes?" his voice called her name in an unfamiliar way.

_Snapping out of her trance, she quickly noticed everyone staring at her once more, including Klaus. _

_As though he was reading her mind, she could see a knowing glint in his eye. _

_Thoroughly embarrassed, she raised her hand and muttered a meek, "here." _

"Glad you decided to join us," he remarked casually, as continued on through the list of names, pausing only slightly as he came across a missing Elena, and then Rebekah and Stefan.

_She resorted to silence as she ruminated over how she would confront him when class was over. This whole thing was insane; she felt like she was part of a twisted dream. Her first question would definitely be why? _

_Until then, she would be cornered into playing respectful student, tortured by his erratic behaviour and his good looks, and forced to watch all the other girls – aside from maybe Rebekah – admire him. _

"Now it's my understanding your last sub managed to cover the gilded age, industrialization, and progressivism, so we'll move on to one of my favourite topics; the First World War," he began as he paced to the far end of the blackboard. "Given that this is a senior advanced level course, I'll be treating it as such," he warned sternly. "The purpose of these courses is not only to provide you with extensive knowledge, but also to equip you with the skills needed to excel in a university environment. In lieu of that, the rest of the semester will be lecture and discussion-based. Since there is only a short time until the end of the term, and much of Mr. Saltzman's grading has been lost, a large portion of your grade will be determined by your time under me," he explained, his sharp gaze faltering for a moment as he looked in her direction.

_She smirked slightly at his comment. "Under me," she laughed. Did his little statement have a double entendre only meant for her to understand? _

"Is there something funny about that Miss. Forbes?" he retorted, prompting her to freeze like a deer in headlights.

_Hiding a scowl under her best fake smile, she shook her head. _

_When he looked away she rolled her eyes. She didn't care how gorgeous he looked; she wanted to wipe that pompous smile off his face. _

"The portion of your grade determined by me will be the result of a few small tests, mini-assignments based on assigned readings, a final paper, participation during class discussion, and your final examination," he revealed.

_No longer were the girls looking at him with adoration. All her classmates appeared instantly stressed and intimidated. _

_That seemed like a lot of work for only a month left of class, she thought. _

_Klaus was obviously amused by the sudden lack of enthusiasm. _

"Consider this excellent preparation for your post-secondary careers," he chimed, as he dragged a dusty old lectern from the corner of the room to the centre beside the main desk.

_A few hands rose from the most over-achieving students, to which Klaus gestured them to put their hands down. _

"We'll discuss the details of the assignments as they come about," he said, instantly causing the students to retreat with their questions.

_However, before he could continue speaking, another girl, Jennifer Hastings – a loathed fellow member of the cheerleading squad - raised her hand to the chuckling encouragement of her friends seated around her. _

_Klaus nodded at her to continue._

"Before you start, Mr. Mikaelson, why don't you tell us about yourself," she said.

_Her eyes narrowed at Jennifer's subtle flirtatious behaviour. _

_Of course, Klaus couldn't resist fabricating a tale about himself for them to believe. _

_He smirked and shrugged as though he was being modest. Klaus was never modest. _

"Well...there's not much to tell. I grew up in Wales, and attended both Oxford and Cambridge. I've also lectured at both; mainly art history, but other areas as well," he stated.

_Under her anger, she wondered briefly if perhaps there was a grain of truth in his information. _

"Married?" Jennifer continued.

_Her jaw went slack at Jennifer's bold question. What a whore, she thought instantly as she noticed Rebekah's eyes roll. _

_Klaus chuckled as though the question was some amusing joke. _

"No, of course not," he said as though it should have been obvious. "No time or interest."

_Jennifer gave a satisfied smirk and she scoffed under her breath in response. _

_She felt like throwing the girl off her chair and knocking some sense into her. No, he wasn't married, but he certainly was involved with someone; her. That would go over well. How many people would they have to compel to cover up a teacher/student sex scandal? She wondered. Oh well, she would let him do the dirty work since this was his brilliant idea in the first place. _

"Anyways, I'm in the area on a sabbatical doing research and visiting family, and your principal offered me the job," he continued. "And yes, in case anyone was wondering, Rebekah is my baby sister."

_Her ears had drowned him out at this point. She was too busy giving the stink eye to Jennifer Hastings. Folding her arms, she turned away, staring at a tiny spot on the blackboard to calm herself. Pfft. Jennifer was a mere mortal anyways in Klaus's eyes, right? She was much better she convinced herself. _

_He collected his notebook from the desk and set it open on the lectern before leaning himself against it. _

_Before he spoke again, he paused to look at all the expectant faces, including hers. _

"Now would be the time to get out a pen and paper if you wish to have material to study from," he said. "There are no fancy power point presentations in my class," he informed them firmly.

_He looked down and studied his notes briefly as he waited for everyone to ready themselves with a pen and a paper. _

_Reluctantly, she opened her binder to a few blank sheets of lined paper. _

"Now, before delving into the details of the First World War, I suppose we should situate it in its proper context by examining the factors that caused one of the most deadliest armed conflicts in history," he began. "Can anyone tell me the immediate cause that sparked the war?" he questioned, glancing around the room, particularly at Stefan and Rebekah.

_She could hear Rebekah groan under her breath as she put a hand forward. _

"Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand and his wife, practically a common whore," Rebekah answered.

_She laughed lightly under her breath as she assumed from Rebekah's interesting statements that she, and Klaus for that matter, knew more about these historical people than anyone else in the room, save for Stefan. _

"That's correct Rebekah, although I think the last part of your statement is probably open for debate," he chuckled. "Gavrilo Princip was a Serbian nationalist who assassinated Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie while in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Long story short, Bosnia was a part of Austria-Hungary and this status was contested by neighbouring country Serbia. Thus, the assassination was largely done in protest to Austria-Hungary's control over Bosnia," he explained in further detail. "But this was only the spark that ignited the flame. If other factors had not been in place as they were, it's doubtful that the war would have taken place at all, or it would have at least unfolded very differently," he continued.

_He stepped back from the lectern and turned to face the chalkboard. _

"While we'll discuss the assassination in a little more detail, we need to examine these other factors first as they not only fuelled the larger war, but are present within the assassination itself," he explained as he reached for some chalk and began to write. "We're going to be focusing on the increasing militarism at the turn of the twentieth century, the strategic alliances formed between countries, the key players – including, but not limited to the Archduke and Gavrilo Princip, and the role of imperialism and nationalist sentiment," he said, writing the points he spoke down on the board.

_She took a few notes as he wrote. _

_Surprisingly, she found herself listening to him intently as he carried on with his lecture on the main subtopics he had outlined. From the naval race between Britain and Germany to the tangled web of pre-war alliances, she maintained her interest. While his looks and educated accent acted as a strange aphrodisiac, she knew it was more than that. She was genuinely interested. If not, she would have just resorted to sexual daydreaming. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that she knew Klaus, Rebekah, and Stefan, had lived through the time Klaus was discussing. She made a mental note to ask Klaus specifically about his life at that time when they weren't in a classroom of twenty-something other humans who wouldn't understand, and when she wasn't still so angry at him. _

_In fact, she was so enthralled by what he was saying that by the time the bell rang signalling the end of class, she found herself disappointed; disappointed because despite her interest, she was still angry, and angry enough not to let things slide. _

"It would sound as though class is over," Klaus announced. "Please don't forget to read the corresponding chapter in your text for tomorrow's class. In fact, if you'd truly like to come prepared, read the next one as well," he advised as the group of mostly uninterested students rushed towards the exit.

_She, however, took her time gathering her things, hoping to get a brief moment alone with him after Rebekah, who appeared just as eager to confront him as she was. _

_Stefan lingered beside her as well. _

"Are you going to talk to him?" Stefan asked curiously as they watched Klaus make a few notes in the margins of his lecture material while a few more students left the room – including a very annoying Jennifer Hastings who made sure to sing a 'see you tomorrow' to Klaus as she left.

"Of course I am," she said determinedly, making eye contact with Rebekah. "This whole thing is crazy," she lamented.

"Maybe you should wait until after school..." Stefan suggested, picking up how frazzled she was.

_She huffed aloud and shook her head. _

"I just want to know why he's here, and I want him to know how stupid this is," she muttered.

"Do you want me to stay?" Stefan offered.

_His offer briefly refocused her attention away from Klaus. Stefan was lending her more support. It was another good sign, she thought. _

_She turned to Stefan and offered him an appreciative smile. _

"I think Rebekah and I have it covered," she assured him noting that Rebekah was making her way to the front of the classroom behind a few slow students.

_Stefan nodded. _

"Alright; I'll let you know how Elena is doing when I find out," he told her, before cutting Rebekah off and leaving the room.

_Despite the happy improvements she just made with Stefan, she quickly returned to her sour expression as Rebekah headed for the door and Klaus continued the whole teacher facade by brushing the chalk off the board. _

_She moved to the front of the room slowly, nearly jumping when Rebekah slammed the classroom door shut after the remaining students were gone. _

"What is the meaning of this, Nik?!" Rebekah's voice bellowed.

_He turned around to face the two of them, a wide smirk on his face. _

"What? I'm not allowed to teach a class at the local high school?" he mused innocently.

_Rebekah rolled her eyes. _

"Nik, this is my class...and Caroline's. This wasn't just some random decision of yours," Rebekah accused. "You're doing this on purpose," she pointed out, folding her arms and looking to her for support.

_To be honest, she was speechless at this point. The dynamic felt awkward. She didn't know how to confront him in front of Rebekah. Moreover, she didn't know how to confront him when he was supposed to be her teacher. _

_He shrugged at Rebekah's comments. _

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing here or not?" Rebekah demanded.

"Something to do," he said simply.

_Rebekah gritted her teeth and groaned impatiently. _

"You're impossible," Rebekah complained. "Caroline, you have free period right now, you deal with him. I have to get to class," she sighed, glaring at Klaus one last time before disappearing through the door.

_Rebekah didn't give her anytime to protest. While it had felt awkward, she certainly had more confidence in confronting Klaus with Rebekah. She supposed it was a strength in numbers thing, or that because Rebekah was Klaus's sister. _

"How convenient," Klaus mused as he walked around what was now his desk and leaned in front of it, directly in front of her. "You have a free period and this is my prep time," he continued.

_She crossed her arms in front of her chest and tried desperately to maintain her unimpressed stare despite his allure. _

"Shouldn't you be 'preparing' then _Mr. Mikaelson_?" she asked sarcastically, ignoring the quiver between her thighs provoked by the way his last name rolled of her tongue.

_He chuckled. _

"Well I seem to have a disgruntled student on my hands. Addressing student concerns is always my top priority," he stated.

_She scoffed. _

"Can you cut the teacher/student shit and just tell me what the hell you're up to?" she said finally.

_He shrugged again. _

"I was bored," he complained.

"So you decided to make yourself a history teacher...my history teacher?" she retorted.

"It's not completely out of the realm of possibility, love. I wasn't lying when I said I studied art history among other things," he defended. "Surely you can't blame me for wanting something to occupy my time with while you're off trying to win your friends back for who knows how long," he explained.

_Her eyes widened. _

"But you can blame me for this crazy idea?" she shot back. "If you wanted to teach, then go over to Whitmore College...why Mystic Falls High...why my class?" she interrogated. "I know there's more to it."

_He looked away guiltily. She knew she was on the right track. _

"Well with all your notions of independence, I needed some way to keep a better eye on you. We're not dealing with your average Alaric run of the mill vampire hunter here, sweetheart," he said, reaching a hand out to tuck some of her hair behind her ear.

_She shirked away slightly both from her anger and the fact that this now seemed highly inappropriate. _

"I can protect myself," she said bitterly. "This seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to look out for me," she added.

"I know," he admitted. "I know you can protect yourself. Would you humour me for the sake of my peace of mind?" he wondered shyly.

"Humour you?" she asked in disbelief. "This whole thing is ridiculous. This is one big huge conflict of interest," she deplored. "You do realize that in this time it's illegal for teachers to be intimately involved with their students?" she reminded him.

_He laughed. _

"I'm aware of it, love," he said as he reached for her hands and began to fidget with them.

_Her eyes widened. _

"So? That's just no big deal to you then?" she asked.

"It doesn't have to be," he told her, pressing his lips to the back of her hand.

_She recoiled and he smirked._

"There's barely a month of class left," he pointed out as he stepped closer to her.

_Uncomfortable and reluctantly excited all at once, she traded him places. _

"I won't pull the quid pro quo card," he continued turning to face her in the switched position, which ended up being a poor choice in hindsight since she now found herself trapped between him and the desk.

"Besides," he said as he leaned in. "You know I'm not one for rules," he said with a husky voice beside her very receptive left ear.

_She whimpered under her breath as his tongue darted out against the sensitive skin of her lobe while his hands rested suggestively on her thighs. _

"So if you're going to play my teacher, who is going to be my prom date then?" she questioned, trying hard to maintain her composure in the midst of his lips feathering kisses along her jaw.

_He smirked against her skin, and she almost had to wonder if he hadn't decided to pull this stunt simply to absolve himself of the prom situation. _

"What did I just say about rules, love? We're vampires," he reminded her. "Besides, as your teacher, I'm sure I could be your chaperone," he mused, before pressing his lips to hers.

_She lost herself in the kiss despite the very real consequences of their actions; despite the fact that half of her was insanely annoyed with him. The half that was hungry for him was currently winning out. _

"And will I have to refer to you as Mr. Mikaelson all the time now?" she asked both sardonically and teasingly.

_He sucked on her bottom lip before answering. _

"Only on school property _Miss. Forbes_, unless such formalities in the bedroom would please you as well?" he asked.

_She rolled her eyes and bit her lip in an effort to suppress the chaste blush that had crept upon her cheeks. Of course her efforts were futile because he knew perfectly well that he was getting to her. _

"It's a pity this isn't a catholic school," he murmured as his fingertips traced patterns on her pant covered legs. "A tartan skirt would be more practical for certain extra-curricular activities...and not to mention more delicious looking on you," he explained before capturing her lips for another kiss.

_Her hands anxiously held him in place by his tie. _

_God she wanted him so badly. Perhaps it was the scenario...perhaps it was the risk of being caught...maybe both. The more wanton part of her wanted him to take her right on this desk regardless of who saw. _

_Logically though she knew better. She knew the dangers, and she knew she was still upset about this latest stunt of his. _

_The sound of the bell that signalled the beginning of next period startled them, causing him to step back and give her some space, as though he had a change of heart and decided to obey the rules for once. _

_That bell injected the missing rationality in to the situation. _

_She crossed her arms and let out a frustrated sigh. _

"I'm still mad at you," she said quietly, focusing her attention both on him and on the voices outside the classroom. "We just got over having to hide our relationship from my friends. I'm tired of hiding," she complained.

_He shrugged nonchalantly as though her statement was no big deal. _

"Then I suppose I will have to make it up to you," he concluded suggestively before his lips brushed against her cheek.

_Before he could tempt her with his lips once more, she slipped out from between his body and the desk. _

_She smiled at him with a false expression of contentment. _

"Maybe you could start by quitting your new job," she mused sarcastically as she headed for the classroom door.

_Shutting the door behind her she took a moment to collect her thoughts and breathe in the air of the real world._

* * *

_She spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding the history classroom at all costs and when the day was done, she rushed to her car, completely blowing off friendly and curious glances from Stefan, Matt, and Rebekah. _

_They were all probably interested in knowing more about Klaus's appearance at the school, but it was the last topic of conversation she felt like discussing. She almost felt dirty for even acknowledging it. She felt like people were already suspicious about them. Perhaps she was paranoid at this point, but she needed to get home to give her paranoid mind a break. _

_It wasn't until she arrived home that she realized that in lieu of the chaos that was Klaus becoming the new history teacher she had forgotten to tell him of the tidbit of information Matt had gathered about the hunter. _

_Her first reaction was to pull out her cell phone and text Klaus about it, but as she began to type out a message, she erased what she had written and decided against it. Her annoyance with Klaus did not put her in a sharing mood with him. She wanted to sit on this information. _

_When she arrived home her mother was in the kitchen packing her dinner for another night shift. _

"I don't know why you still take night shifts," she said. "You have enough seniority as sheriff not to," she added.

_Her mother shrugged, seemingly absent-mindedly and distant as she cut up some fruit and vegetables for a snack later. _

"You know we're permanently short-staffed," her mother complained. "Besides I get more paperwork done in the night time quietness of the station than during the day anyways. The shift premium is great incentive as well," her mom pointed out.

_She sensed a tension beneath the surface of their polite conversation. She could only assume that it had something to do with Klaus. _

"I guess Klaus and Elijah dealt with the Council," her mother said finally.

_She only nodded in response, knowing her mother had more to say by the judgemental tone of her voice. _

"He killed one of them; Jacob Stevens," her mom pointed out disappointedly, "I told him not to kill anyone," she said.

_The guilty look on her mom's face tugged on her heart strings. _

"Klaus said that he came at him with a stake," she said, hoping to ease her mother's guilty conscience.

"A plain wooden stake that would have had no effect on him," her mother retorted.

_She sighed and conceded her mother's point. _

"I'm not saying he deserved to die, but these people want me and every other vampire dead, mom," she reminded her mother. "If given the chance, I'm sure Mr. Stevens would have killed me without hesitation. Klaus is only trying to protect me," she defended.

_Her mother nodded slowly while in thought; probably just as lost as she was in the muddy waters of morality. _

"As far as the Council goes, I suppose Klaus's threats achieved just that," her mom acknowledged. "Now what about the hunter?" she wondered.

"Klaus had planned to capture the hunter last night at the Grill...but it didn't work. He convinced my friends to show up for help, but we didn't stay long enough. Elena had a bit of an episode last night so that drained everyone's enthusiasm for the hunter at that point. Matt said he showed up later on when all of us were gone," she explained, not bothering to point out to her mother that the whole reason the plan probably failed was that the hunter had caught her and Klaus getting hot and heavy in the alley beside the Grill.

"Elena's really having a hard time with her transition, isn't she?" her mother observed, packing some more food into her lunch bag.

"From what I know from Stefan she is. Elena really doesn't want anything to do with me still," she admitted to her mother.

_Her mother flashed a sympathetic smile. If anyone knew how tough her falling out with Elena had been, it was her mom. She had been around since their friendship first began. It was her and Elena's mother who had first arranged play dates between the two. _

"I'm sure with time she'll come around," her mother tried to reassure her. "What's next for the hunter?" her mother asked, clearly knowing when the subject needed to be changed.

_She shrugged as she dragged her fingers loosely over the counter. Aware of the fact that her mother and Klaus had been talking, she decided against telling her mother on the latest lead about the hunter. _

"Not sure yet," she said.

"Any plans tonight?" her mother asked as she began to put some things away in the fridge. "Seeing Klaus?" her mother wondered, eyeing her once she shut the fridge door.

"Probably not," she said decidedly, choosing to leave out the information about Klaus making himself the new history teacher at Mystic Falls High.

_Her mother seemed a little surprised by her response. _

"You two are still fighting? Sorry...I just assumed that since Klaus was helping you now...and the fact that his shoes were here this morning, that you two had made up," her mom said.

_Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed at her mother's comment about Klaus's shoes. _

"We did," she stammered, searching for the best way to address Klaus's impromptu sleepover. "Mom...I-I...I didn't mean for Klaus...to stay over last night. We fell asleep," she said innocently, even though she knew her mother would never buy the excuse.

_She was smirking at her disapprovingly and disbelievingly. _

"I know I can't really stop you from having sex," her mother said anxiously, "and even though being a vampire means you don't have to worry anymore about the consequences of sex...I'd still like for there to be some boundaries as long as you're living here with me, Caroline. The idea of my daughter sleeping with her boyfriend in her childhood bedroom while I'm in the other room just doesn't sit well with me," her mother said. "Just try to be more discreet about it," she said as she picked up her things.

_She gave her mother a confused look, unsure by what she was getting at. Was her mother banning Klaus from her bedroom for good, or was she giving her subtle approval? She didn't bother to ask as her mother gave her a small kiss on the cheek good-bye before leaving for work; the conversation was already awkward enough. _

_When her mother was gone she covered her face with her hands and let out a small groan of agony. Talks about sex with either of her parents had always made her cringe and want to crawl into a small dark hole. She could remember the embarrassing talk she had to have with her father and Steven after she got her period while she stayed with them one summer. She didn't even want to let her mind wander back to the time she found her mom's vibrator when she had been snooping around her bedroom for Christmas presents. Jesus, she scowled as she desperately tried to cleanse her mind of the painful memories. _

_Of course her mom had noticed Klaus's shoes in the hallway, she thought. Clearly they sucked at being discreet. Just the thought of her mom knowing she was probably having sex made her want to pass out from embarrassment. _

_Sure, she didn't have to worry about the consequences of sex anymore – namely pregnancy – but she could still see how her mother would be uncomfortable; she herself was uncomfortable with the very notion that her mother knew she was sexually active. _

_It was kind of amusing to her though. If her mother wasn't condoning her sharing her bed with Klaus, would that change if she left with Klaus and returned for a visit? If they stayed here, would Klaus have to sleep on the couch? She laughed at the thought. Would it take a few rings and a piece of paper to make it acceptable? Klaus would never stand for that. They were beyond the trivial conventions and restraints of human life – even her mother had seemed to acknowledge as much._

* * *

_After dwelling on the awkward conversation between her and her mother a bit too long, she opted to finally take a shower. When she was finished the lengthy hygiene routine she dressed again, deciding it wasn't late enough for pyjamas yet. _

_She distracted herself from her homework by exchanging a few texts with Stefan and Rebekah. Rebekah had made her a private appointment with her dressmaker in the coming days and they both swapped angry texts about Klaus's latest undertaking. In between, she looked up information on the resort outside of town Matt had mentioned in relation to the hunter and debated about what to do about the lead. _

_The ring of the doorbell nearly caused her to drop her phone. _

_She first believed it to be Klaus, but frowned when she stepped out into the hallway to see a mystery young man at her front door. _

_Placing her cell phone in her pocket, she headed for the door. _

_Opening it cautiously, she noticed him holding a bouquet of red tulips and a medium-sized pink bag. _

"Hi..." she greeted the man nervously and confused. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Are you Caroline?" he asked simply, brushing his brown hair off his forehead.

_She nodded reluctantly._

"I'm Dean."

_He smiled and extended his hand with the bouquet and pink bag. _

"These are from Klaus," he explained.

_She frowned, despite her inner urge to beam a smile. _

"I can't leave until you accept the gifts," he said.

_Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the flowers and bag; she should have known that this guy was one of Klaus's few remaining hybrids. _

"Thanks," she muttered.

_As she went to shut the door, the sired hybrid was still standing there. _

"I thought you could leave now?" she inquired.

"I'm also supposed to wait until you are ready," he said cryptically.

_She scowled, growing more annoyed by the second. _

"Ready for what?" she asked.

"Your date; I'm to take you to Klaus once you're dressed," he informed her, looking down at the pink bag.

_She quickly concluded that she was to wear whatever Klaus had sent in this bag. _

"A date?" she asked bewildered as though she had no understanding of the concept when it came to Klaus. "And what if I decide not to go with you?" she challenged.

_He gave her a horrified look. _

"Klaus told me to call him and then to tear out one of my kidneys if you refuse," he told her.

_She glared at him before scoffing. _

"Fine; wait here, I'll be out when I'm ready," she said before slamming the front door.

_While this seemed like classic Klaus, she was suspicious. _

_She set the bag in her room and took the flowers to the kitchen in search of a vase. _

_Admittedly, they were beautiful flowers; perfectly fitting for spring, she thought as she placed them in a glass vase and filled it with some water. _

_Noting a small card resting in the bouquet she opened it curiously. _

"_wholly to be a fool  
while Spring is in the world _

_my blood approves,  
and kisses are a better fate  
than wisdom  
lady i swear by all the flowers." - E.E. Cummings _

_The writing on the card clearly belonged to Klaus, she concluded. _

_Just as she finished reading her phone began to vibrate against her hip. _

_It was a text from Klaus. _

"_Will I see you later? – wholly to be a fool" _

_Angry, she reminded herself. You're angry with him, remember that, she repeated. _

"_We'll see," she replied to him. _

_Back in her room she rummaged through the white tissue paper in the pink bag the hybrid Dean had also delivered to find a simple black taffeta cocktail dress. _

_She huffed at it as she held it out in front of her for inspection. She almost resented his sense of style. _

_He was well aware that a dress, or flowers for that matter, would win her over, she had to admit that they were working. _

_It wasn't the gifts themselves, but the thought he had put into them. There was always a subtle meaning behind everything. _

_Still reluctant, however, she tried the dress on. _

_She hated how perfectly it fit. _

_Caroline, you're supposed to be mad, remember? Klaus is being completely overbearing and paranoid with this teacher thing, she coached herself. You can take care of yourself. You're not incapable. _

_She straightened her hair and applied some makeup to darken her eyes and redden her lips. _

_After finding all the appropriate accessories to wear with the outfit – including jewellery, purse, shoes, coat, etc – she finally headed back to her front door. _

_It was dark now. The hybrid was still waiting dutifully; it was sad and pathetic. _

_The hybrid stood up from his sitting position on her porch stairs when she opened the door. _

"You look lovely Caroline. Klaus will be very pleased," he complimented, as though Klaus had told him to say every word. "Are you ready to go?" he confirmed.

_She nodded politely, before dropping her purse. _

"Oh no," she cried as she went to bend down for her bag and the items that had fell out.

_As she anticipated and hoped, the sired hybrid crouched down before she could to retrieve the dropped purse. _

_This would be too easy, she mused. _

"Let me get that for you," he offered, as he gathered up the purse and began to put the spilt contents back inside.

_With his attention diverted, she acted fast, grabbing him by the neck and snapping it in one swift motion. He fell back against the porch instantly. He was dead, but she knew it was only temporary. Without much time, she picked up her purse and dragged his body off the porch and concealed it behind some shrubbery. _

_She was ready to go, but first she had a lead to follow up on. _


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: So this is probably one of the quickest updates I've done, like ever. You definitely have yourselves to thank for that. The amazing response to the last chapter and all the reviews from readers new and old definitely kept my creative juices flowing. I also just wanted to give you all a shout out for pushing this story over the 500 review mark WOW, so amazing.**

**Judging by the reviews, I guess teacher Klaus was a hit? Heh. Perhaps we'll be seeing him again...**

**As has been the norm lately, the ending of this chapter isn't where I originally intended to end it, but it works. I wanted to give you another quick update and I knew if I carried on it would be a while. I also started to draw a bit of a blank (I'll explain at the end of the chapter). **

**Please read, enjoy, and then review. :D**

* * *

_She felt bad for snapping the hybrid's neck, but he didn't give her any other option. He would have never let her leave on her own on a mission that ran contrary to his plan to take her to Klaus__,__ as Klaus had requested. More than that, if she had refused to go with him, she would have been responsible for his self-inflicted kidney removal. _

_By snapping his neck she bought herself some time. Moreover, she never directly refused him, meaning he wouldn't have to torture himself with some amateur surgery; that was if siring compulsion worked the same as regular vampire compulsion; there was always a loophole. _

_Although__,__ she wasn't quite sure what Klaus would make his hybrid do if he found out that she had ditched him to go look into the hunter. She would have to make this quick so that Klaus would be none the wiser and she wouldn't have to clean up Dean's kidney or any other body parts off her front step before her mom came home from work. _

_She pulled up in the resort parking lot. _

_The Sycamore Spa and Resort was far from expansive. While it boasted its own private golf course, the actual resort building itself was intimate and very exclusive. It catered mainly to the elite from the larger neighbouring towns and cities. It was an escape for them, offering guest suites, a swimming pool and gym, spa facilities, conference rooms, and a swanky restaurant. _

_The Lockwoods had been the only family from Mystic Falls whom she knew attended regularly. Tyler's mom made weekly trips to the spa and restaurant, while Tyler's dad had a golf membership when he was still alive. There was also rumour that the Council and other local government officials held meetings here on occasion; no wonder they had exceeded their budget this year, she thought. _

_If the hunter really was staying here, she wouldn't be surprised if it was with the Council's backing, unless of course he was a rich vampire hunter, she thought. Perhaps he was just that good. That realization made her slightly nervous, but she quickly shrugged the thought off. She wasn't going to scare herself out of this. _

_While it was a bit late, it was still an appropriate time for dinner - particularly for the wealthy who were not confined by time and an early start to the work day tomorrow - so she suspected most of the cars in the parking lot were here for the restaurant. _

_She used her car's sun visor mirror to the best of her ability to inspect her appearance self consciously. She could only hope that she would fit into the semi-formal atmosphere and not look out of place. _

_As she approached the building, she admired it. Outdoor lighting and heavy green trees accentuated grand facade which consisted of a combination of stone, wood, stucco, and glass__._

_She'd never seen it up close; in fact, she'd barely seen it all. It was barely noticeable from the highway, hidden down a long driveway and a dense tree line. _

_When she realized she had been staring a bit longer than any regular would have, she headed for the large wood and glass double doors. _

_It wasn't much of a surprise to her when a doorman opened one of them for her. _

_Apparently the rich couldn't open their own doors, she mused. _

_She gave a friendly smile to the doorman who regarded her with a polite 'good evening.' He was dressed in a simple black and white suit. His name tag read 'Adam.' She was almost certain he had been a senior at Mystic Falls High when she and her friends had been freshmen, but she couldn't be sure, and she wasn't about to ask. Her questions would surely raise his suspicions. If he remembered her at all, he'd know that she was definitely too young to be here; and that as a single mother and sheriff of Mystic Falls, there was no way her mother could afford this place either. _

_Once through the vestibule, she entered the lobby, trying to maintain her casual composure despite her amazement with the interior of the building. _

_The lobby boasted raised ceilings that extended to the second story, a wall of windows to her right, with a tall stack stone fireplace in the centre. Modern and traditional furniture were intermixed and placed around it, with large rugs protecting the aged dark wood floors. The whole room was given an intimate touch with dimly lit candle like chandeliers, lamps, and the light from the fire. _

_Directly across from her on the other side of the lobby were the elevators and a grand solid-wood staircase that she assumed led up to the guest rooms. _

_On her left, the large lobby desk was centred upon the wall, with large wooden framed glass doors on either side, which she could conclude, judging by the pleasant aromas of food coming from that direction, led to the restaurant. _

_Perhaps she should compel herself a reservation first, she thought. It was okay to indulge every once in awhile. It's not like this resort needed her money. They were doing well enough without her business. The smells of red meat and chocolate desserts were driving her heightened sense of smell crazy. The only smell putting her more on edge was the scent of wealthy human blood. _

_She closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head and reasserting her focus. The hunter was why she was here, not food - of any kind. _

_As she approached the lobby desk, the middle-aged woman, with her hair curled too tightly in a bun, was already giving her a judgemental stare; a stare that said you shouldn't be here; you're not old enough; you're not rich enough; you're not dressed well enough. _

_Still, the woman named 'Nancy' flashed an affable smile. _

"Hello, welcome to the Sycamore Spa and Resort, how can I help you?" she asked her expectantly. "Do you have a reservation with our restaurant or hotel?" she inquired further, as though she was trying to embarrass her.

_She maintained an equally friendly smile as she mentally prepped herself to compel the woman for information. Compulsion was not something she did regularly, nor in such a public place, so it tended to take a bit of effort. _

_Leaning over the desk she stared at the woman, concentrating her eyes and capturing the woman's attention. _

"I need some information about someone who might be staying here," she said pleasantly, so that any passersby would assume they were having a polite exchange.

_The woman nodded. _

"Certainly, how can I help?" she offered.

_First hurdle overcome, she thought to herself in lieu of the successful compulsion. _

_She smiled brightly at the woman. _

"I only have a physical description of him, but I need to know if he's staying here," she started, before outlining the details of his physical appearance to the woman.

_The hotel wasn't that big. There weren't many rooms, and she was certain not all of them were occupied at the moment. It was through the week, no special holidays or events were taking place, and the golf course had just opened for the spring season. If this hunter was staying here, this lady had to know. _

"I'm not sure," the woman replied.

_She frowned. _

"There has to be a way you can find out for me," she urged the woman pleadingly, determined not to give up. "Don't you keep records?" she suggested.

_The woman's eyes seem to light up as she sought after a solution that would please her. _

_Sometimes compulsion was such a handy tool. _

"We take photocopies of each guest's driver's licence. Let me take a look through the folder of recent check-ins," she explained, walking over to a filing cabinet and unlocking it.

_Her progress was exciting, even if she didn't even know yet if the hunter was a guest here or not. Her confidence was growing, nonetheless. What would Klaus have to say when she presented him with all this new information? Better yet, what would he say if she captured or killed the hunter all on her own? _

_As she waited for the woman to find the appropriate file and documents, she began to grow anxious. The hunter knew what she looked like from their brief encounter in the alley the night previous. Maybe he knew she was here? Maybe he was watching her. She felt like she was being watched. _

_Instinctively, she looked back over her shoulder and scanned the relatively small lobby. She didn't see him. A few people were coming and going from the restaurant, while a middle-aged man was at the far end of the lobby desk being helped by a balding man who appeared to be a similar age. No sign of the hunter. _

"Is this who you mean?" the woman asked as she approached the desk again with a single piece of paper.

_The photocopy of the driver's licence was a bit grainy so it made the photograph hard to decipher, but without a question, the photo on the driver's licence definitely featured a photo of the hunter she saw in the alley. _

_She studied the information. _

_It was a New York licence. The name read 'Connor Jordan.' _

"This is exactly who I mean," she exclaimed, almost surprised that her plan was coming together. "I'm going to keep this piece of information," she told the woman, folding the piece of paper neatly before slipping it into her purse.

"Of course, go ahead," the woman obliged readily.

"Can you tell me what room he's staying in? Is he still checked in?" she asked.

_After confirming his name, the woman began typing on the computer at the desk. _

"It says he checked in a few days ago. He should still be here. He's not due to check out until tomorrow," the woman informed her. "He's staying in room three-twelve," she added.

_She smiled widely at the newfound information. _

"Do you think it would be possible for you to give me a key card to the room?" she inquired hopefully, knowing the compulsion would give her what she wanted.

_The woman nodded._

"Yes of course," she replied.

_When the woman returned with a key card for three-twelve she thanked her and quickly compelled her to forget everything about their conversation._

* * *

_The edges of the key card dug into the skin of her palm as she griped it tightly while walking towards the elevators. _

_She was still trying to figure out how she would go about this. _

_The elevator was empty when she stepped inside and she tried hard to relax against the rail inside as she waited to arrive at the third floor. _

_On the way up, she decided she would first use her heightened hearing to determine if there was anyone in the room. If she heard nothing, she would knock, using her speed to hide behind a corner and wait for him to answer. If he was there, she would leave to enlist Stefan or Rebekah for help. If he wasn't, she would let herself in to snoop around. _

_Butterflies rose in her stomach as the motion of the elevator stopped at floor she wanted. _

_She stepped out of the elevator cautiously, her guard up as she anticipated the presence of the hunter at any moment. _

_Deciding to do an inspection of the entire third floor, she walked past three-twelve to the end of the hall. Another hall ran perpendicularly at the end with a few rooms on either side. There was an emergency exit at one end of the hall, and a set of large windows at the other end. Without using her strength to bust into a guest room, she had two means of escape at this end of the floor if she needed them. The stairs and elevators from the hall she just came from provided additional routes for escape. _

_When a guest room door opened, she jumped slightly and spun around on her foot to inspect. It was another middle-aged man and woman. _

_They eyed her curiously before turning down the hall she had come from for the elevators. _

_She took a moment to steady her breathing before following them down the same hall, back for three-twelve. _

_Stopping at the door she leaned into it and concentrated her hearing. _

_There was no sound. _

_Inhaling sharply, she knocked her knuckles against the door before bolting down the hall and around the corner. _

_She could only hope that security wasn't paying attention to the third floor cameras at this point. _

_Waiting behind the wall, she listened for a door to open. _

_She remained hidden with the wall for a good three minutes before concluding that there was probably nobody in the room. _

_Probably didn't mean that Connor Jordan the vampire hunter wasn't still in the room waiting for her to make her move though. _

_She had to be careful. _

_Returning to the door, she opened the palm of her hand and directed the key card to the slot above the door handle. _

_The light went green and a clicking noise sounded. _

_There was no going back now. _

_Resting her hand on the handle, she opened the door slowly. _

_She was slightly relieved, yet unnerved to find the room pitch black with the curtains on the windows completely closed. _

_Her chest was heaving at this point from her out of control nerves as she stood in the doorway and extended her hand to search for a light switch. _

_Just as her fingers found the panel, an unexpected force grabbed her from behind and pushed her inside the darkened room. She screamed but her cry was muffled by the assailant's hand; a male hand. _

_The door clicked behind them and she reacted on adrenaline, slipping out of his arms with a punch to the groin. This elicited a low groan from the attacker she could only assume was the hunter. With the tables briefly turned she lunged at the shadow knocking both of them to the ground as she pinned him to the ground and wrapped one of her hands around his throat while the other punched him hard in the jaw. She followed that up with another forceful punch. _

_She took a few seconds to catch her breath, believing her attacker to be unconscious. _

_Needless to say, she was more than surprised when he grabbed her tightly by the waist and flung her effortlessly back against the solid door of the room. Hitting it with a loud thud, she winced as she clung to the handle to sturdy herself on her feet so she didn't collapse. Her head and spine felt like they were on fire. _

_That kind of force didn't come from a human or even a human vampire hunter. She was dealing with something else; another supernatural force; another vampire maybe. _

_Quickly recalling the placement of the light switch, she reached for it hurriedly as the male shadow approached. _

_Her jaw quickly fell open and her eyes went wide when she was confronted not with a vampire hunter, or even a vampire, but a hybrid; a very familiar hybrid at that. _

"Klaus...oh my god..." she said as a whirlwind of emotions hit her; surprise; fear; worry; confusion; guilt; concern; relief; anger.

"In the flesh, sweetheart," he said, wiping some blood from the side of his face, likely from a now healed wound she had inflicted with her punch.

_She suddenly became conscious of the ring she was wearing on her middle finger; on the hand she had punched him with. _

_While there were a million things racing through her mind, she couldn't believe that she had somehow managed to overpower Klaus if even for a second. Maybe he had let her gain the upper hand? _

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she straightened her dress and brushed her strewn hair away from her face.

_He shrugged with a smirk. _

"I could ask you the same thing..." he trailed off.

_Despite the playful grin, she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was angry with her. She knew how he sounded when he was angry. _

_She stood firmly against the door as he approached her stoically. _

"Your friend Matt told me everything. I had him in my second block of American History during last period," he explained. "He told me how he was worried you might take things into your own hands," he mused.

_Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought of Matt telling Klaus everything. Why couldn't he have just left things alone? She was fine, save for Klaus attacking her. _

"He seems to know you well...sure enough, here you are," Klaus said bitterly tossing a hand in her direction before turning to walk into the main room of the guest suite.

_As he past the hallway he stumbled, hitting a nearly invisible trip wire. _

_She looked at him curiously as he looked down and scanned the room quickly for an explanation. _

_A popping noise sounded suddenly and in a blink of an eye, a slender stake was lodged in Klaus's chest, rapidly followed by one in the stomach, and then one in his left thigh. He growled at the intrusions as he fell to his knees in response. _

_She let out a horrified shriek at the sight and went to rush towards him, but he halted her with his hand. _

"Stop, don't move," he demanded. "There could be more traps," he warned as he stood back up carefully.

_He winced quietly as he limped back towards the foyer of the room where she waited. _

"Are you okay?" she panicked, meeting him half-way hastily.

_He grunted and shrugged her away, leaning up against the wall. _

_She frowned. _

"I'll be fine when I get these bloody pieces of wood out of my body," he hissed.

"Let me help," she offered, extending her hand towards the stake in his leg.

_He pushed her hand away. _

"I'll do it myself," he grumbled through gritted teeth.

_She could only assume his cold demeanour towards her was brought on by a combination of her secrecy and his hurt male ego. _

_Stepping back, she gave him space as she watched him grab a hold of the stake buried just under his heart. _

_He ripped it out in one swift motion, barely making so much as a painful scowl as he did it. _

_The stake had left a large tear in the button up shirt he was wearing under a black collared jacket, but the blood that had been drawn by the wound was disguised by the shirt's deep red colour._

"Wolf venom," he mumbled as he looked over the stake briefly before tucking it inside his jacket and focusing his attention on the other two stakes that were still inside of him.

_She closed her eyes partially as he treated the stake in his stomach and the one dug into his thigh as abruptly as he had the first, tearing them out and then tossing them both to the ground. _

_He eyed her intently as she struggled to find something to say that would remedy the situation. _

_She followed his eyes as he looked back into the room. _

_Noting briefly how luxurious the rooms really were, it wasn't long before her eyes caught sight of the weapon that had launched the stakes fitted in the corner of the room. _

_She gasped when Klaus stepped over the trip wire and back into the room. _

"What are you doing!?" she scolded in a whisper.

_He shrugged as he moved about the room cautiously, stepping over a few more wires he detected. _

"We're here now. Might as well see if the hunter left any clues," he said.

"The hunter could be back any second," she warned.

_He glared at her incredulously. _

"This so-called 'hunter' doesn't frighten me," he stated. "Besides, you were all ready to play Sherlock five minutes ago," he chastised.

_Inspecting a desk against the far wall in between two large covered windows, he opened the drawers after he ensured it wasn't rigged. _

_He removed a few papers and slipped them inside his jacket before carrying on with his impromptu investigation. _

_At the nightstand, he opened those drawers cautiously as well, removing a few hotel brochures, laughing when he found a Bible. _

_There was a suitcase on the upholstered bed end bench and that caught Klaus's attention next. _

_He unzipped the black bag and took a few moments to rifle through it. _

_As she stood there waiting, she realized her body was still shaking from shock; the shock of the surprise attack; the shock of seeing Klaus; the shock of Klaus being staked. _

_Focusing on her breathing, her thoughts drifted towards Dean. Had he regained consciousness and called Klaus to tell him what had happened? Was his kidney still intact or had Klaus made him follow through? _

_With half of the contents of the suit case spilled out around it, Klaus let out an exasperated sigh at having found nothing more. _

_He looked under the bed and even under the mattress and then looked over a few other pieces of furniture before he returned to the hallway of the room where she stood. _

_Moving past her, he entered the bathroom. She listened as he heard him rummaging through the vanity drawers and the contents on the counter. _

"We're leaving," he stated sternly as he re-emerged from the room.

_She took a final glance around the guest suite. There were drawers left open and articles of the hunter's belongings scattered about from Klaus's unannounced inquisition. _

"He'll know we were here," she pointed out as she nodded towards the state of room.

_A look of annoyance spread across her face. _

"Of course he'll know we were here!" he spat, kicking violently at the bloodied stakes on the ground.

_She shuddered as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door._

* * *

_As they stumbled out into the hallway, he quickly released her arm and softened his composure upon noticing one of the hotel staff down at one end of the hall, and a laughing couple at the other – near the elevators. _

_He buttoned his jacket to cover the rips and stains from the stakes that had entered his torso while they approached the elevators. _

_She looked down at the tear in his pants from the final stake. It was noticeable, but would probably be glanced over by anyone not intentionally looking for it. _

_Klaus stood off to the side as she positioned herself in between him and the anonymous couple in hopes they wouldn't notice his appearance. _

_Extending her hand, she pressed the 'down' button a little too enthusiastically, even though the red light around the button had indicated the couple had already done so. _

"These elevators take forever," the man chuckled.

_She flashed them a friendly smile, hoping they couldn't sense her fear or notice how disheveled her hair was. _

_The couple was younger. She surmised they would probably be around Alaric and Jenna's ages. The man was tall with short brown hair, while the woman was about her height with hair that resembled Elena's._

_She leaned in and pressed the 'down' button a little more impatiently. _

"In a hurry?" the woman laughed.

_Fighting the urge to say something rude, she shook her head. _

"Just starving," she lied, as she rubbed her stomach.

_They both gave knowing grins. _

"The food here is delicious," the woman explained.

"What brings you here?" the man asked.

_She groaned and rolled her eyes on the inside. Why the hell did these people care why they were here? _

"Just passing through," Klaus murmured almost rudely slipping his arm around her waist possessively, nearly pushing her inside the elevator as the doors opened.

_Her guilty conscience stepped in and she felt the need to cover over the misstep in the conversation. _

"You?" she asked the couple as nicely and politely as she could as they too stepped inside the elevator.

_The woman's smile practically exploded as she raised her hand and flashed a shiny rock. _

"Engagement party," she squealed.

"Oh, congratulations," she replied, mustering the best fake smile she could.

_They nodded in acknowledgement before a stifling silence filled the small box they descended to the ground floor in. _

_When the doors opened, Klaus held her back so the couple exited first and they proceeded behind into the lobby. _

_He guided her determinedly towards the doors. _

"Mr. Mikaelson!" a man's voice called from behind them.

_Klaus paused briefly and they turned around. _

_The balding man who had been at the lobby desk earlier was approaching them. _

"Your table and room three-eleven are both ready," he announced.

_She looked between the two of them utterly confused. _

_Klaus scowled. _

"Both the dinner reservation and the room are no longer needed, charge an appropriate amount to my account for any inconvenience," he hissed at the man, before spinning around back towards the exit without her.

_She apologized to the hotel employee and then scurried after Klaus hoping she would get an explanation. _

"What was that about?" she asked as she struggled to keep up with him in her heels down the walkway to the parking lot.

"What do you think?" he grumbled sarcastically as he approached a sleek red Ferrari...the same Ferrari she had been dying to drive.

_She stopped a few feet away as her car was a few spots away from his. _

_He said nothing to her. _

_So what, he was giving her the silent treatment now? _

_She sighed. Despite the overwhelming guilt she felt as she tried to put the pieces of the night together, she was too prideful and annoyed to run after him anymore, so she turned for her car. _

_Before she could take five steps in its direction, Klaus flashed in front of her._

"Where do you think you're going?" he confronted.

_She scoffed. _

"Home, where else?" she remarked sardonically as she tried to push past him.

_He shook his head. _

"I don't think so," he stated.

"Why not?" she protested angrily.

"Somewhere out there, there's a hunter who possesses stakes and wolf venom, who I'd be willing to bet will be extremely pissed off when he returns to his room," he remarked. "You're coming with me," he concluded flatly, pulling her – a little more gently this time – towards his car.

_She didn't protest this time. Despite her stubbornness she knew he was right, and while they hadn't confronted the hunter tonight, the events in his room had shaken her up to the point where she didn't want to be alone. _

_He opened the passenger door for her and she climbed inside the black leather interior while he followed suit. _

_Before she even had a chance to put on her seatbelt he was ripping out of the parking lot at top speed. _

_She clenched the edges of the seat as he sped down the drive to the main road that led back to Mystic Falls. _

_If her adrenaline had not already been put into overdrive once tonight she might have found the fast ride more enjoyable; had she and Klaus not been passively aggressively fighting at the moment, she might have even convinced him to let her drive, but she stayed quiet and tried not to focus on her stomach. If she did, she'd feel it doing somersaults. _

_More than usual, Klaus was driving recklessly and as much as she wanted to chide him for it, she didn't. It would just make things worse. She knew he was taking his anger for her out on the gas pedal._

_As they drove towards the other side of town, Klaus's cell phone began to sound in his pants pocket. He answered it readily as they pulled up to a stop light. _

"Dean, where've you been mate?" Klaus asked casually into the phone, hitting the gas when the light turned green.

_She looked at him and listened worriedly to the conversation. _

"She did, did she?" he mused as he glanced in her direction.

_Dropping her head, she looked down at the floor of the car apologetically. _

"Well not to worry. She's with me now," he informed Dean. "Oh and Dean," he said as though he had forgotten something.

_Her head shot up as she eyed him once more. _

"You can still rip out that kidney. Try not to make a mess," Klaus said simply before ending the call.

_She sighed remorsefully and turned away, opting to gaze aimlessly out the window as they reached their destination and Klaus turned down the drive. _

"You didn't have to do that," she said to him quietly as they pulled up in front of his mansion house and he drove the car into the expansive garage.

"And you didn't have to snap his neck," he hissed finally, killing the car engine before climbing out.

_She scoffed and trudged behind him into the house. _

"Sorry if I didn't feel like being babysat by one of your hybrid minions!" she exclaimed.

_Her heels clicked down the hallway as he walked swiftly in front of her towards the front foyer. _

"Clearly you need to be," he grumbled, his back still to her.

"Klaus, stop," she demanded, brushing her hands over the back of his jacket in an attempt to stop him. "Are you just going to ignore me?" she pleaded.

_He spun around with a vicious look on his face. _

"What do you want me to say?" he shouted.

_She shook at the tone of his voice as she noticed Elijah appear behind Klaus from one of the living rooms; he'd obviously heard their battling voices. _

"I'm sorry, okay?" she relented. "What I did tonight was naive, but you're suffocating me. I was angry about your teacher stunt. I wanted to do this on my own. I wanted to prove myself," she explained.

"Prove what?" he retorted. "Prove that you're unbelievably stupid?" he snapped.

_Her jaw fell open and her heart stung a little as her eyes filled with tears. _

"Niklaus," Elijah interrupted with a warning tone, clearly trying to mediate the situation.

_Klaus turned and glared unappreciatively at his brother. _

"Stay out of this Elijah," he barked before turning back to her. "It's true," he maintained. "What would have happened had I not been there? Hmm? You would have walked into the hunter's room, tripped over that wire, and you'd be dead! That stake would have pierced you right in the heart!" he exclaimed furiously. "And even if the stake missed, you'd be too poisoned with wolf venom to move. The hunter would have surely returned before you had a chance to escape and then he would have killed you. Either way, you'd be dead right now," he spat, his face red with rage. "Indeed, you proved nothing tonight save for your own stupidity," he scowled.

_She winced, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment as a few tears were pushed out despite her resistance. _

"Truth be told, after this afternoon I was feeling a little regretful. I wanted to redeem myself. So, I bought you the dress; the flowers; made the reservations. Like you, I could have gone after the hunter by myself, but I thought perhaps you might appreciate being included," he spoke with a raised and bitter voice as he pointed at her with a spiteful glare. "Never again will I go against my instincts; never again will I allow you to make me feel criminal for trying to protect you," he finished.

_He tore past Elijah up the stairs as she wiped her wet cheeks. Both she and Elijah flinched when the doors to Klaus's bedroom slammed shut._

* * *

**A/N: Hey so what'd you think? I'm sure a lot of you were expecting a hunter surprise. Sorry for tricking you with a sort of false alarm and giving you Klaus instead, heh. **

**Klaus was a little harsh in the chapter, but Caroline wasn't completely innocent either. **

**I apologize for ending it here, but like I said, I wanted to give you another speedy update. Beyond that, I wanted to take some time to determine where to go from here. I usually have trouble planning my story long-term, but I'm actually drawing a blank in terms of where to take things in the chapter immediately following this one. **

**Surely I've set the stage for a Caroline/Elijah heart to heart, but should Caroline put her pride aside and go to Klaus? Or should she stand her ground a bit longer? Ultimately, I think both of them have some apologizing to do. If you have an opinion or a preference, feel free to share with me. **

**Also, since the last two chapters have been purely from Caroline's POV, I'd like to get back into Klaus's mind – at least in part – as soon as possible, in case any of you were wondering where his POV went, lol. **

**Okay, I'm rambling now. I apologize. Don't let me discourage you from sending a review :D **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Seriously you all were amazing the last chapter. I nearly reached 600 reviews thanks to your lovely comments. I was so pleased to read all of the reviews. Moreover, I was overwhelmed by the number of you who took the time to provide your insight and offer ideas. They helped me make a few decisions with the immediate direction of my story, so thank you. I also wanted to give a shout out to those who pushed my fic over the 250 mark when it comes to 'Favs' and the 400 mark when it comes to 'Follows****'**** I feel the love :D **

**Now I have to apologize. There is no Klaus POV in this chapter, nor direct Klaroline, so unfortunately I fully expect interest to fall with this chapter. Like I said, I'm sorry. The Elijah/Caroline conversation is the main focus of this chapter, so please hang tight. I promise 100% that Klaus/Klaroline will be in the next chapter, and that the majority of it will be from Klaus's POV. I'm working on it now as we speak. The Elijah/Caroline conversation just kind of took on a life of its own, so I went with it, and to be honest, I like how it turned out, so I hope you can appreciate it too and be patient for the next chapter. It's coming. I just felt the Klaus/Klaroline stuff needed to be contained within its own chapter. **

**If you like Elijah and Caroline's friendship then you will probably enjoy this chapter. There is also a little surprise at the end that some of you will probably like. **

**Please leave me a review – even if you hate me for being such a tease haha.**

* * *

_She shuddered as his bedroom doors rumbled in protest. Her eyes flickered closed once more as a few hot tears slid down her face. She hoped when she opened her eyes she'd be somewhere else; perhaps answering her front door and greeting Dean again. _

_When she opened them she hadn't moved. She still stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs with Elijah eyeing her worriedly. _

_It was then she fully realized that Klaus's brother had been present for the entirety of their argument. _

_Her cheeks ran red with embarrassment, and she tried to cover up her emotion by tracing her index fingers under the rounds of her cheeks to gather up the wayward tears. _

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Elijah meekly, wincing when she heard a faint ruckus come from Klaus's room; no doubt he was taking his frustration out on another innocent piece of furniture.

_She noticed Elijah look up the stairs regrettably. _

"There's no need to apologize," Elijah assured her.

_Within seconds Rebekah appeared at the top of the stairs from the second floor. _

"What the bloody hell is going on!?" Rebekah demanded.

_Rebekah quickly fell silent when she noticed her tear stained face and both her and Elijah's solemn expressions. _

"Forget it sister. Niklaus has let his temper get the better of him tonight. I'll take care of Caroline," he told her.

_Rebekah lingered for a moment over the railing before returning to her own room. _

_Elijah smiled softly at her, handing her a similar handkerchief to the one he had given her the first time they spoke face to face. _

_She accepted it readily and pressed it to the skin under her eyes. The smooth material was much preferred over the skin of her hands. _

"Thanks," she said, handing it back to him when her tears had been soaked up.

"Come, we'll retire to the sitting room. I just prepared myself a drink," he offered.

_Nodding, she followed behind him. _

_She and Elijah had not had the opportunity to speak alone since the other day; a few days ago when she and Klaus were in the midst of another fight. _

_It was tiresome to think that she and Klaus had overcome one obstacle in their relationship only to be confronted by another. _

_Moreover, she was certain Elijah was tired of hearing about it. _

_They entered the same sitting room she and Klaus had just recently made love in. _

_She sighed inwardly as she spotted the table before taking a seat on the antique sofa. _

_Elijah left for the other corner of the room to retrieve her a drink. _

_Expecting it to be only alcohol, she was surprised when the scent of fresh blood and red wine filled her nostrils as he popped a cork and opened a decanter. _

_While she waited, she took in the heat of the flames from the fire place. Vampires may not have felt temperature the same as humans did, but she could still appreciate the warmth against her legs. It might have been a mild spring day, but this night had been cooler than last. _

_She gazed into fireplace absently and was quickly confronted with the last time she had been in front of this fireplace. _

_It had been an emotional rollercoaster of a night; the Miss Mystic nomination ceremony. Klaus was returned to his body. They were reunited, and in the same breath she was torn away from her friends as everything between her and Klaus came to the surface. _

_Really though, it had been here, in this room, where the real emotional rollercoaster started and finished. Their meeting in this room had been the first alone moment they had to confront each other about where they were headed. She had admitted all her feelings for him believing him to be Tyler prior to it and he fell short then. It was here in this room that he had redressed his shortcomings. _

_She put her feelings out there once more and challenged him to own up to his own and he did. She told him she didn't believe he cared for her and he told her how wrong she was. He told her everything she needed to hear. _

_But he had also made himself vulnerable as a result. He acknowledged she was something for him to lose; a weakness, and in the midst of that confession he seemed truly frightened. She reassured him that he wouldn't lose her. _

_Looking away from the fireplace she cringed guiltily as she thought about Klaus's predictions for how tonight would have played out had he not been there to intervene. _

_He would have lost her despite her reassurance. _

_Her pride and stubbornness would have killed her. _

_It clicked for her then that Klaus's anger had not been about her deceitful behaviour so much as it had been the result of being confronted with her death. _

_While he had no right to lash out at her with hurtful words, she understood their place. _

_Elijah snapped her from her trance as he held out a wine glass for her. _

_She accepted it thankfully and took a sip of the pleasantly sweet combination of wine and blood. As her body took in the liquid eagerly she realized she had been hungrier than she thought. _

"Thanks," she said as Elijah sat down beside her quietly.

"The wine is actually from our vineyard in France," he informed her casually.

_She took another sip, recalling her conversation with Klaus at the Grill when he mentioned it. She wasn't about to ask where the blood came from. _

_An awkward silence fell between them as she waited for him to ask about Klaus, and he waited for her to tell him about Klaus. _

"You look lovely tonight, Caroline," he complimented.

_She chuckled under her breath. His compliment may have been perceived as out of line, but she knew he meant well. It was the time he was from. It was customary form for men to flatter women regardless of their relation to you. More than that, she knew it was more of a friendly rouse to get her talking. _

"Your brother bought the dress for me," she told him.

"Part of an elaborate apology gone wrong, I take it," he continued. "Dare I ask what my brother was atoning for this time?"

_She couldn't help but smirk a little at Elijah's all too understanding tone when it came to his brother. _

"Though if you'd prefer not to discuss it, I'm sure we can find more mannered topics of conversation," he offered.

_Smiling sweetly at his politeness she shook her head to indicate it was okay. _

_Elijah really was the only person she could talk about Klaus with. Sure, she was slowly getting some of her friends back and her mom seemed to be coming around to the idea of Klaus, but she couldn't talk to them about Klaus in the same way she could with Elijah, at least not yet. They would be too quick to judge; too quick to view her argument with Klaus as confirmation that he was no good for her. Elijah wasn't like that. Despite the fact that he was Klaus's brother, she considered him to be quite objective and reasonable to speak to__.__ He told it like it was regardless if it was what you wanted to hear or not. Unexpectedly, Elijah had become quite the friend to her when she had none and she appreciated that more than he would ever know. _

"I just don't want to burden you," she admitted. "I'm sure hearing about my fights with your brother has probably grown old," she laughed lightly.

"I don't mind. I assure you," he said. "While I don't wish for your unhappiness, it's nice to know someone else understands how difficult Niklaus can be at times," he clarified.

_She nodded as her understanding smile turned to a small frown. _

"I probably shouldn't place all the blame on your brother tonight though," she sighed.

_Elijah's eyebrows rose with intrigue as he took a sip from his glass. _

"Oh?" Elijah pushed interestedly.

_She slouched over her legs and brushed her hair back. _

"God, I feel like such an idiot," she said.

_Leaning back against the sofa she huffed aloud as she pushed her feet out of pesky black heels she was still wearing for some reason. _

"Your brother showed up at the high school today..." she started.

"He had mentioned something about checking in on you earlier," Elijah noted.

_Her eyes rolled incredulously. _

"He didn't happen to add that he was doing it as Mystic Falls High's new history teacher, did he?" she asked.

_Elijah smirked at her in disbelief before shaking his head. _

"No, he conveniently failed to mention that," he said.

"Well you can imagine Rebekah's and my surprise when 'Mr. Mikaelson' showed up to our American History class this afternoon," she mused.

_Elijah chuckled and nodded. _

"Did he explain himself?" Elijah wondered.

"He said he was bored, and then he said it was to keep an eye on me; to look out for me while the hunter was on the loose," she informed him.

_Elijah shook his head bemusedly at his brother's latest activities. _

"I know he means well, I do, but it's too much," she lamented.

"I can see why you would be displeased," Elijah acknowledged. "Though I can assure you that Niklaus is adept when it comes to teaching; if I recall correctly, he taught at Cambridge...or perhaps Oxford in the last century...if that's what concerns you," he said with a smirk, clearly hoping to get a rise out of her.

_Klaus's teaching experience intrigued her and she probably would have pressed Elijah for further details, but she was in no mood now. _

_She rolled her eyes at Elijah with amusement before returning to the real issue of Klaus playing teacher. _

"It just causes so many problems. When Elena returns to class she's not going to be impressed, and don't even get me started on the legality of a teacher/student relationship," she groaned. "He just didn't think this through."

"Not to mention the fact that you're capable of taking care of yourself," Elijah added.

"Thank you!" she said, tossing out her arms. "And I thought that had been established after our argument the other night when he agreed to help me with the hunter and my friends and not be so overbearing about it," she complained.

"Niklaus told me you had reached a compromise of sorts," Elijah eluded.

_She nodded, comforted and curious all at once by the conversations Elijah and Klaus had shared about their relationship. _

"In exchange for his non-domineering help, I offered to leave Mystic Falls after prom if no progress has been made with my friends or the hunter," she revealed.

_Elijah nodded, seemingly impressed. Though she was sure Klaus had probably already told him. _

"That's not insignificant. Prom is not far away from what I gathered from Rebekah," Elijah said.

"He agreed to it...and then he pulls this stunt at the high school," she muttered. "It's patronizing."

"Indeed," Elijah agreed.

_She finished the glass of wine before continuing. _

"So we fight a little about it before I storm out of the class. I don't hear from him until later when he sends his hybrid Dean to my house with flowers and this dress and practically blackmails me into a 'date'," she scoffed.

_Elijah's ears perked up again at the new information. _

"Blackmail?" Elijah inquired.

"Yeah, Dean told me if I refused to go with him to Klaus, Klaus told him to tear out one of his kidneys," she explained to Elijah.

_Elijah smirked as if to acknowledge that it sounded like typical Klaus. _

"Earlier in the day I got some information about the hunter from Matt. He saw a card for the resort outside of town in the hunter's wallet when he showed up after we left last night," she told him. "Needless to say I never mentioned it to Klaus after the afternoon we had, and instead of leaving with Dean, I snapped his neck..."

- "...and you went to the resort to follow up on the hunter on your own," Elijah guessed.

_She shook her head reluctantly, knowing by the sound of Elijah's voice that he wasn't entirely supportive of her choice either. _

"So I go and I compel all of the hunter's information from one of the employees and get a key card for his room. I listen and knock to confirm whether he's there or not. When I get no response, I use the card and open the door. Then before I can reach in and turn on a light, I'm pushed into the room. Thinking it's the hunter, I fight with him for a few minutes, but it turns out to be Klaus," she retells Elijah who seems amused and horrified by her tale all at once.

"We fight briefly before Klaus stumbles over a trip wire and has three stakes drenched in wolf venom shot into him by some mechanical device. At this point you can imagine how pissed he was. He looked around the room quickly for any information before practically dragging me out of the building and bringing me back here," she finished with a long drawn out breath.

"Apparently Matt also told Klaus about the hunter; afraid that I would try and handle things on my own. So while I'm off snapping hybrid's necks and naively going after vampire hunters alone, it turns out Klaus arranged the dress, the flowers, and reservations at the resort as part of a dinner date guise enabling him not only to look into the hunter, but to make up for earlier by including me in the plan," she murmured regretfully.

_Elijah remained quiet for a moment as he processed everything she told him. _

"It would appear you and my brother had quite the eventful night," he concluded.

"Yeah and that's why he's so pissed with me, and why all hope of him quitting his new job at the high school has probably been lost," she remarked.

_Elijah sighed and placed his drink on the side table. _

"It seems like an endless unfortunate cycle, doesn't it? My brother does something to offend your independence, you blowback with a plan that runs amiss, which only then serves to justify to Niklaus his initial offending behaviour," Elijah mused.

_She grumbled at the silliness of it all as she tucked her legs underneath her on the sofa. _

"Forgive me Caroline, but I do have to side with my brother on one matter; going after the hunter alone was very reckless on your part," he reproached. "Surely I understand why you did not want to include Niklaus, but you could have come to Rebekah or I," he offered.

_She snorted at the prospect of Rebekah leaping to help her. _

_Elijah laughed. _

"Is that so hard to believe? That my sister or I would offer you assistance?" he remarked.

_She shook her head. _

"Not so much you, but Rebekah?" she chuckled. "She's not my biggest fan...and besides, if Klaus found out either of you helped me I'm sure he'd be pulling out the dagger threats right about now."

"Rebekah likes you more than you think she does," Elijah noted. "All she seems to talk about lately is your plans for prom," he informed her further. "Besides, from what you've told me, she was just as upset as you were with Niklaus's appearance in your class today, I'm sure you could have used that to your advantage," Elijah suggested.

_She grinned and pushed his shoulder. _

"What would Klaus say if he heard you advocating a rebellion?" she joked.

_Elijah glanced up at the ceiling. _

"It wouldn't surprise me if Niklaus and Rebekah were eavesdropping at this very moment. They always have been a little uncouth in that regard," he admitted.

_She laughed lightly; suddenly a little self-conscious about her words. _

"In any case, I trust that Niklaus would have the good sense to see that our helping you with the hunter would be preferable to no assistance at all, thus preventing any threats with daggers. I also trust that you would defend Rebekah or I in the event that he didn't," Elijah mused.

_She nodded appreciatively._

_In the beginning, Klaus's family had seemed so intimidating, now it appeared as though she had won them over. Okay, so really she had only won Elijah over, but she was slowly convincing Rebekah. _

"I would," she agreed.

"Well now that that is settled, I implore you to tell me what you were thinking?" Elijah demanded in a less threatening and belittling tone than Klaus had used.

_She shrugged and shook her head. _

"I guess I just let your brother get the better of me. I was so annoyed with him this afternoon. Sometimes he just treats me like I'm incapable of anything," she groaned. "I thought if I could get info on the hunter or even capture him, that I'd not only prove myself to my friends, but prove myself to Klaus," she explained. "It turns out Klaus was right, all I did was prove how stupid I am. I probably would have tripped over that wire and I'd be dead," she concluded, the reality of that possibility sinking in a little further.

"You're not stupid, Caroline," Elijah consoled her. "It was crude of my brother to have disparaged you like that tonight; he let his anger and impulse talk, rather than his heart," he explained. "Much like Niklaus, your impulse could have got you into trouble tonight, but your intentions were honest, not stupid."

_A part of her hoped Klaus was eavesdropping right now to hear Elijah's words. _

"If you don't mind my asking what is it exactly that you wished to prove to my brother tonight?" he wondered.

_That question from Klaus had been entirely diminishing. Elijah seemed genuinely concerned and interested. _

"I don't know," she said, becoming flustered, "that I could do something without him; that I didn't need him to do everything for me," she stammered. "I hate feeling dependent and inadequate and that's how he makes me feel when he takes on the Council or the hunter all on his own without me," she admitted. "Like I know he's stronger than me – all of you are – but I'm not entirely useless," she complained.

_Elijah reached for his glass and finished the contents before rising to refill both their glasses. _

"Caroline, the last thing you are to Niklaus – or any of us – is inadequate. If I remember correctly it was you who came up with the clever plan to call me to step in to prevent my brother from being dumped at the bottom of the Atlantic, you put on a brave face when we thought he was gone, and from what I understand you've helped your friends out of dangerous situations countless times. More than that, you've befriended my sister, and stood up to my brother while taming his heart in the process. Those are quite extraordinary feats for someone who claims inadequacy," Elijah said encouragingly as he returned with two more glasses.

_She smiled kindly as she took her glass back from Elijah. _

"Thanks," she said modestly before taking a drawn out sip from her glass. "Not just for the refill."

_Elijah nodded. _

"Certainly my brother may have extended his help a little too far in recent days, but it's never a sign of inadequacy to ask for help when you need it. It can only be a sign of wisdom," he continued. "I would not see you as less than for needing assistance. My brother only wishes to help you because of his deep affections for you, not because he views you to as incompetent," he explained.

_She exhaled, overwhelmed with guilt and appreciation by Elijah's words. _

"Surely my brother's anger said otherwise tonight, but if you were listening closely, his heart did get a chance to speak in between the bitter lines of his fury. His heart was in the terrified undercurrent of his voice when he described how tonight might have gone had he not been there," Elijah said bluntly. "Niklaus is absolutely petrified by the prospect of losing you. While I'm sure he's upset that you went after the hunter without him, I'd be willing to bet that his anger tonight has more to do with the reality of how close he came to losing you than anything else. I would also hasten to say that he might even feel a little guilty; that he feels partially responsible for your actions tonight," Elijah clarified.

_Sometimes she hated how Elijah could make perfect sense out of every situation and predicament; how he was practically a window into Klaus's mind. Truthfully, she admired it and praised it. Things would be hopeless without his insight and keen understanding of his brother. While she felt even guiltier now for what had transpired tonight, she felt more at ease with approaching Klaus about it. _

"You're probably right, Elijah," she admitted. "Klaus once told me that he was scared of losing me, and I told him that he wouldn't. Then tonight happens and he almost does lose me. Ugh. I feel terrible," she groaned, curling her neck against the back of the couch, to stare up at the ceiling. "If I had of just gave in and went with Dean, I would have been elated to discover that Klaus wanted me there to help him investigate the hunter. This fight never would have happened and whether we got the hunter or not, Klaus and I would have probably been at a better place than we ever have been," she predicted forlornly.

_Elijah shrugged as he ran his hand over the patterned material on the sofa. _

"I like to think everything happens for a reason. I surmise that not all hope is lost," he said cryptically. "If anything, I suppose I should be apologizing since I suspect that it was my encouraging words that Niklaus probably heeded too strongly that ultimately put you in this position," Elijah chuckled.

_She raised her head and smirked at Elijah's attempt to take any of the blame for this. _

"Seriously?" she asked with an amused expression.

_Things went quiet again as she reassessed everything Elijah had said and began to wonder what Klaus was up to. Had he went to bed? Could he be listening? _

"What are you thinking about?" Elijah asked.

"Just wondering what happens now between Klaus and I," she huffed.

"Well what do you want to happen?" Elijah questioned simply.

_Resting the side of her face against the back of the sofa, she looked up at Elijah hopefully. _

"I just don't want to fight anymore. I don't want him to be angry with me. I want him to at least acknowledge his wrongdoings," she sighed.

_Elijah looked down at her nonchalantly. _

"Perhaps you should go to him and tell him so," he recommended.

_She looked at him dumbfounded. Was going to Klaus really such a good idea? _

_Elijah smiled at her reaction to his suggestion. _

"Of course, Niklaus may need some time to cool off, but is it really such a novel idea? What is there to stop you?" he asked her amused.

"I don't know," she relented. "I guess it just feels like giving in or taking complete responsibility."

_He laughed into his glass as he took a drink. _

"I sometimes forget that you rival Niklaus in your stubborn pride," he mused. "No offence," he chuckled.

_She nodded with a faint smile, fully acknowledging that she could be prideful and stubborn when she wanted to be. Tonight was a prime example of that. _

"Fights like these are not about winning or losing, or being _more _right," he continued. "They're about acknowledging grievances and moving forward. Do you know how many conflicts would be shortened or averted if one of the parties said something along the lines of what you said you wanted?" Elijah told her. "Nobody ever _wants_ to stay angry – not even Niklaus; they simply want to be validated. What's wrong with making the first move if it gets you what you ultimately want? If you make this about pride, Caroline, things will never be resolved," Elijah warned.

_She considered his words carefully. Deep down she knew he was right. While it annoyed her to make the first move, that was her pride talking. All she really wanted was what she had told Elijah she wanted; basically she wanted their dispute ended. If she could do that by being the one to speak up first why wouldn't she? Elijah had a point; if she let this become about pride things could only get worse. _

_Aside from his cruel comments, she could admit that Klaus had a point. He had a right to be upset with her for her actions; probably more so than she did with him. Thus, it only seemed fair that she be the one to do the approaching and the initial talking. _

_Moreover, Klaus was probably past the idea of making another concession by coming to her, especially in lieu of what she did. Considering who he was, he had conceded a lot for her, and now he was probably regretting it since it likely appeared to him that it almost got her killed tonight. No, she would have to swallow her pride and go to him. _

"You're right. I should go talk to him," she concluded.

"Perhaps tomorrow after the two of you have a clearer mind and a clearer heart?" Elijah suggested.

"You're probably right again," she sighed. "What if he won't speak to me?" she asked worriedly.

"Knowing Niklaus, it could happen. All you can do is try. If he won't speak with you then at least you've made an effort. The burden will then be on Niklaus to stomp down his pride," Elijah reassured her.

_She looked at Elijah appreciatively. _

"You're a good brother to Klaus. He is lucky to have you," she revealed.

_Elijah smiled genuinely. _

"I think you flatter me too much, Caroline," he told her.

"Well it's true, and I've told him as much," she reiterated seriously.

_He laughed. _

"Perhaps he'll listen to you," Elijah mused.

"I think sometimes he takes you and his other siblings for granted. I'm an only child. I've always wanted siblings, so it annoys me when he fails to appreciate you – even Rebekah and Kol," she explained.

_Elijah acknowledged her comments with a nod. _

"Our family has a millennium of history, Caroline. All that cannot be shared in one evening. Niklaus's apparent failure to appreciate his siblings comes from a long past of deceit and betrayal on all our parts. Though I often feel that his detachment has more to do with that same fear of loss he has with you than anything else," Elijah confided. "The loss of our brother Henrik still haunts him."

_She bit her lip and ran her finger around the rim of her glass as she considered Elijah's words. Klaus had never mentioned Henrik to her directly, but she recalled hearing the story about him from Elena. _

_Elijah seemed to shrug the painful memories away with a small laugh. _

"Siblings can both be a gift and a curse," he joked. "I myself often wished to be an only child when I was young," he recalled.

_While she had no siblings of her own, she knew what she meant from observing Klaus's family, Elena's relationship with Jeremy, and Matt's relationship with Vicki. _

"Though if it pleases you, it would please me a great deal if one day you came to consider me a brother," Elijah confessed. "Regardless of what might come to be between you and Niklaus."

_Her lips curled into a bright smile and for a few moments she forgot why she was even here talking with Elijah in the first place; she forgot that she was upset. _

"It would please me," she agreed, inwardly amused by the old world style of talk and elated by Elijah's admission.

"I'm glad to hear it," Elijah replied, extending his hand to clink his wine glass with hers.

_She followed along and touched his glass with a giggle before they both took another drink. _

"Does that mean I can race you up the hill in Mystic Falls too?" she laughed

_Elijah's eyes seemed to light up at her mention of one of his childhood memories. _

"Niklaus told you about that," he concluded.

"He told me he always won," she mused.

_Elijah chuckled. _

"Of course he did. Niklaus may have always been the more talented swordsman, but I was always the more agile runner, which I suppose is why I was also the more effective hunter," Elijah recalled proudly, causing her to laugh inwardly.

_Bragging seemed something that was beneath Elijah, but it amused her greatly to see a competitive spark alight within him at the mention of Klaus. Despite Klaus's paternity, they were true brothers. _

"When we were boys all our races usually ended in a fighting match," Elijah mused. "Kol was too young at the time, but Finn used to moderate as Klaus and I threw fists aimlessly over who won," he laughed. "I hit Niklaus so hard once Finn and I thought I had knocked the poor kid unconscious – on his birthday no less - and Niklaus led us to believe as much until I leaned over him and he hit me square in the jaw. I lost one of my back molars from that punch," he laughed.

_Elijah's talk of punching reminded her of the physical fight she engaged Klaus in earlier believing him to be the hunter. _

"I hit Klaus tonight," she said, covering her mouth in partial amusement and shock.

_Elijah glared at her almost worriedly as he took her words to mean they had willingly fought each other. _

"Niklaus hurt you?" he asked panicked.

_She shook her head eagerly with a smile. _

"No no, when he startled me by pushing me into the hotel room, I thought he was the hunter. The room was dark and I couldn't see. So, I reacted. I used all the vampire strength I could to hit him in the groin and punch him a few times," she admitted. "He threw me back against the door before I could turn the lights on to know it was him. I can't believe I did that," she said.

"Well I don't think Niklaus can hold it against you. How did he think you would react when he chose to surprise you like that?" Elijah chortled. "I'm impressed," he commended her.

_She shrugged. _

"I'm sure he let me get away with it," she conceded.

"That, or you actually took him by surprise," Elijah countered.

_They both laughed in unison before Elijah's attention seemed to turn onto another topic. _

"Speaking of Niklaus's birthday," Elijah started. "I had thought about planning an intimate gathering for it this weekend," he explained further.

_She shot him a look of surprise at the prospect of his birthday. _

"I didn't know," she said meekly, embarrassed that she did not know Klaus's birth date. "Klaus never told me."

_Elijah shrugged plainly as if it was no important consequence. _

"Birthday's become less significant the older a vampire becomes. Niklaus probably just forgot to mention it. He enjoys celebrating them though, and this one is quite the milestone, so I thought I'd rehash an old tradition," Elijah carried on.

"A milestone?" she asked.

_Elijah smirked. _

"One-thousand," he answered.

_She could barely wrap her mind around living for a century, never mind a thousand years. _

_Elijah chuckled at her reaction. _

"I wanted to extend an invite to you, but in lieu of tonight I also wanted to know if I should follow through with things as planned," he said.

_She shook her head. _

"I don't see why not. Even if Klaus and I are still fighting by then, that shouldn't stop his birthday from being celebrated," she said politely. "Any ideas on what to get a thousand year old hybrid who has everything?" she joked.

_Elijah laughed with a shrug. _

"Try having to top yourself every year for a thousand," he challenged. "I stopped trying to accomplish that centuries ago. As cliché as it may sound, it truly is the thought that counts," Elijah advised.

_She sighed as the weight on her shoulders grew heavier. Not only would she have to confront Klaus, but now she'd have to buy him a gift for his birthday. _

"Don't stress about it. You have enough to concern yourself with at the present. I'm sure Niklaus will adore any gift from you," Elijah tried to reassure her before yawning. "While it's been a pleasure conversing with you, I should probably retire for the evening," Elijah declared. "But feel free to help yourself to more drink," he offered.

_She eyed the hallway apprehensively as she thought about entering Klaus's bedroom. Maybe it was better if she stayed somewhere else for the night. _

"Klaus wanted me to stay here tonight because of the hunter, but I'm not sure sleeping with him is the best idea. Is there somewhere else I could stay?" she asked, knowing it was a stupid question since this house probably boasted more square-footage than the high school.

_Elijah nodded understandingly. _

"Of course," Elijah replied as he stood up from the sofa to attend to the dying fire.

_Upon finishing her glass, she followed him up the stairs with her heels in hand, past Klaus's room and another set of doors, to the final ones at the end of the hall. _

"Niklaus has servants obsessively cleaning, so there should be fresh linens. Rebekah should still be awake so feel free to ask her for clothing to wear to bed," he suggested. "Her bedroom is next door."

"Thanks Elijah," she said appreciatively.

"You're welcome. Good night, Caroline," he replied before turning down the dimly lit hall.

* * *

_Her eyes fell upon the doors to Rebekah's room as Elijah disappeared into a room on the other side of Klaus's. _

_She wasn't in the mood to discuss what happened with Rebekah, but she also wasn't in the mood to sleep in some uncomfortable party dress either. _

_Listening in briefly, she could hear Rebekah typing away on her computer and the faint sound of a Justin Bieber song playing in the background. _

_She laughed to herself as she neared the doors and went to knock. _

"I can hear you lurking outside my bedroom," Rebekah's muffled voice shouted from inside her room. "Just come in."

_Her cheeks reddened, but she entered the room anyways. _

_Rebekah was seated across the room with her back towards her at a desk – similar to the one Klaus had in his bedroom. The room itself was smaller than Klaus's was, with no additional sitting room, but it was still probably twice the size of her own bedroom. It was one large rectangular room. On the right wall Rebekah's high four poster bed was centred upon the wall, with a door on either side, which she assumed probably led to a closet or ensuite bathroom. On the left wall there was a fireplace and a grand piece of art above the mantle. The fireplace was framed with shelving on either side, which she noted contained a television and what she concluded were probably mementos from the past. Her room gave off an airy feeling that Klaus's did not. While Klaus's room was dark, Rebekah's was light save for the wood floors; the walls were a soft grey with an accent of wallpaper, while much of the furniture and drapery was white. _

_She admired the room as she stepped further inside. Rebekah continued to ignore her. _

"Nice room," she complimented, in order to get Rebekah's attention.

_Rebekah stood up from her chair and turned to face her. _

"Yeah well I didn't get too much of a say in it since I was in a box when Nik decided to renovate," she groaned.

_She watched as Rebekah picked up a box from her desk and approached her. _

"I just finished some prom related e-mails," Rebekah stated. "Every service is finalized and I picked these up from the printers this afternoon," she revealed, handing her the box. "The tickets for prom," she beamed.

_She opened the box and eyed the large formal tickets with awe as Rebekah moved past her. _

"These are beautiful," she acknowledged, while Rebekah disappeared into what was now proven to be her walk-in closet.

"I knew I picked the perfect design," Rebekah self-congratulated, re-emerging from the closet with a pink tank top and black shorts.

_Rebekah offered her the clothes in exchange for the box of tickets. _

"I heard Elijah talking to you in the hall..." Rebekah said unapologetically.

"Thanks," she nodded. "I assume you listened in on much of my earlier conversation with Elijah then too?" she wondered.

_This time Rebekah appeared guilty as she nodded. _

"I only did it out of concern for Nik," she said defensively. "I wanted to know what all the commotion was about," she added.

_She shrugged with a scoff, knowing that fighting Rebekah on eavesdropping was a useless one. _

"Well I suppose it saves me from having to explain everything a second time," she decided.

_Rebekah gave her a satisfied glare before returning to her chair at the desk. _

"Nik was right, you know," Rebekah said just as she was turning to leave Rebekah's bedroom.

_She stopped and spun back around on her heels. _

"What you did tonight was incredibly stupid," Rebekah said flatly. "Even if Nik has been a bit of an ass about things lately, he has every right to be mad at you," she continued.

_While Rebekah's blunt take on the situation was a little harsh, it was basically a less watered down and short reiteration of what Elijah had said. _

"I know," she agreed simply.

_Rebekah sighed and turned around in her chair. _

"Elijah was also right, though. Too often Nik lets his anger get the better of him. Trust me, I know. I've been the target of his foul words too many times to count. Deep down I know he doesn't mean a word of it," she said with a small encouraging smile.

_She nodded and returned Rebekah's smile in kind. _

"Thanks," she replied sincerely. "I guess I can't say you didn't warn me about him," she added with a friendly tone, referring to Rebekah's comments about Klaus being a handful.

_Rebekah chuckled a little before turning serious. _

"I hope my other warning has not escaped your mind as well," Rebekah mentioned, reminding her of Rebekah's threat of retaliation if she ever hurt her brother.

"I remember it well," she sighed with a hint of sarcasm.

"Good," Rebekah replied sternly.

_Things grew awkward as a silence grew and she was just about to leave the room again, when Rebekah spoke up. _

"I talked to Matt after school today," Rebekah started.

_At first she thought Rebekah was about to say something about the hunter before quickly realizing that Rebekah's talk with Matt was probably more personal. _

"You did?" she asked cautiously, unable to judge Rebekah's expression for how it went.

"He said we could talk at the Grill tomorrow; that he would hear me out," Rebekah responded hopefully.

_She found herself smiling at Rebekah. She never would have imagined in a million years that she would be encouraging Rebekah's pursuit of Matt, and yet here she was sharing in Rebekah's enthusiasm. _

"That's great," she said to Rebekah.

"Thanks, Caroline," Rebekah said with an actual genuine tone.

"Goodnight, Rebekah," she replied before leaving the room.

* * *

_She exhaled with contentment, happy to be out from under Rebekah's critical eye, and satisfied with how their conversation had ended. _

_Tip-toeing back to the room beside Rebekah's, she gave out a longer sigh when she closed the doors behind her; relieved to have a moment alone, upset to be away from Klaus. _

_The room she was in was similar in layout to Rebekah's except it was reversed. The fireplace was on the right wall of the room, while the bathroom and closet were off the left wall. The walls themselves were a very deep blue colour that almost came off as grey or even black. This room featured the bed against the far wall in between two large windows and she took a moment to appreciate the intricate pattern on the dark solid wood headboard. There were a few paintings hung around the room, along with some shelves and a few pieces of small furniture, but unlike Klaus's or Rebekah's room, it didn't feel lived in. _

_Deciding to take a shower, she headed for the bathroom. Luckily for her, the shower in this bathroom appeared simpler to operate than Klaus's and though this bedroom did not seem to be occupied, the bathroom was well stocked with toiletry supplies. _

_The deep blue colour carried on into the bathroom, but only on one wall; the rest were left white. The blue wall featured a dark vanity with a white counter and a large framed mirror above while the toilet was beside it. On the far wall was the large glass enclosed shower, and under the single window on the right wall was a claw foot tub that rivalled the one in Klaus's master ensuite. _

_She briefly considered taking a bath before deciding that a shower was easiest and most practical. _

_Once she was undressed she turned the shower on without issue and adjusted it to an acceptable temperature. _

_She welcomed the shower. It took her mind off what plagued her mind most; speaking to Klaus. _

_When she was done, she towel tried her hair and tamed it the best she could before brushing her teeth with a packaged toothbrush and toothpaste she found in one of the drawers. _

_She dressed readily into the clothes Rebekah gave her. They were a welcome comfort to the form fitting dress she had been wearing prior to her shower. _

_Piling her belongings together on the bench at the end of the bed, she turned off the main room light in favour of the bedside lamp and then pulled down the black shades over the windows. _

_She eagerly pulled back the plush gray comforter and sheets and climbed onto the soft and inviting mattress. Surely she knew she would have trouble sleeping tonight, but if anything could lull her to sleep eventually it was the comfort of this bed, she thought as she wrapped herself in the blankets. _

_Turning out the lamp, she fell back into the pillow and closed her eyes, trying hard not to think about anything that happened today. _

_At some point after tossing and turning for awhile over thoughts about what she would say to Klaus and how tonight could have played out differently, she did manage to fall asleep. That was until the door to the room clicked open and her senses were filled with shushed giggles. As she propped herself up off the mattress to investigate, her eyes were blinded by the main light of the room. Once her eyes were adjusted and she could see clearly, she was tormented by who she saw. _

_Standing there in nothing but an unbuttoned white shirt and boxers, with an equally surprised expression and two half-naked women on each of his arms, was Klaus's younger brother Kol._


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: As usual, thanks for reading and reviewing. Yay! Over 600 reviews with the last chapter! I'm still so amazed. **

**Also, thanks for being so understanding with the last chapter and for enjoying the Caroline/Elijah friendship I've created. **

**I also need to give a special shout out to 'Guest' since I cannot respond to them privately. I just want to say to say that I love your lengthy reviews...so no, of course they don't bother me. I slipped in something extra special for you into this chapter as a token of my appreciation :D **

**I apologize for this chapter taking longer, but it takes me awhile to get into Klaus's POV from being so into Caroline's for the past couple chapters. Plus what I had to write wasn't exactly easy. And don't even get me started on the hell that broke loose on Friday with respect to this proposed spin-off. **

**Needless to say, I've calmed down since then, regained by bearings, and my Klaroline ship is still sailing strong. I hope you're all still aboard your own...if you're ship is foundering, I hope this update can act as a lifeboat of sorts!**

**Enjoy and review, please!**

* * *

"Hello, darling Caroline, what a lovely surprise..." Kol mused as he stepped into the room, the scantily-clad women with him hanging off of him like decorations on a Christmas tree. "The last time I checked, Niklaus's room was two doors down," he said.

_She thought Kol had left town. Why was he here? And why did Elijah give her Kol's room to stay in? He knew they didn't get along well. _

"Oh my god," she stammered as she sat up in bed, holding the blankets protectively against her.

"If I had known my brother left you in this room alone to keep yourself warm, I wouldn't have brought a party back," he chuckled, whispering in both girls' ears before they took a seat on the upholstered chairs by the fireplace. "It could have been just the two of us," he sneered.

"Seriously?" she groaned. "No thanks," she said with a fake smile.

_He frowned. _

"You don't know what you're missing sweet Caroline," he cooed, clearly trying to annoy her as much as he possibly could.

"I'd rather not find out," she said sarcastically.

"Your loss," he replied simply.

_The two young women nodded in agreement. _

"What are you doing here? I thought you left town," she wondered, rubbing her eyes in a continued effort to adjust to the light.

_He approached the end of the bed. _

"I'm delighted to see you as well," he remarked giddily, as he handled the clothes she had left on the bed end bench. "You're the perfect welcome home gift," he snickered, holding up the black dress she had worn earlier against his torso.

_She scoffed at his immaturity. _

"Did you wear this for Nik tonight?" Kol asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Obviously," she shrugged. "Your brother bought it for me," she challenged, hoping Kol would find that fact off-putting.

_Kol tossed the dress aside with an impressed look and a shrug. _

"I prefer to shop for my ladies at Agent Provocateur," Kol chuckled.

_She looked over at the women who were staring adoringly at Kol from their seats. They were probably being compelled. Both were wearing little more than lingerie. _

"I can see that," she remarked sardonically.

_Kol looked back in the girls' direction as well, shooting them a playful glare, before returning his focus back to her. _

"They blow my mind," he said before squinting his eyes and rounding his lips. "Girls these days are a lot more adventurous than they were a century ago. Then again, frigidness was nothing a little compulsion couldn't cure," he chuckled.

_Her eyes narrowed with his disgusting revelation. _

"So you never did answer my question..." she trailed off, hoping to distract him, as she thought about a way to escape or a way to have him leave.

_Kol nodded. _

"I did leave this boring little town for a while. I went to the fabulous Las Vegas. The girls are a souvenir from my travels," he chuckled as he winked at them both and they blew him kisses in return.

_She wanted to be sick. _

"So what made you decide to return to this 'boring little town'?" she asked.

_His smile beamed. _

"Well perhaps I couldn't get my mind of a certain blonde vampire who has my brother's attention," he replied.

_Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him incredulously. _

"My big brother's birthday is this weekend, so I wanted to surprise him," Kol explained with a devious smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "This is the first time in over a hundred years I've been un-daggered for his birthday," he pointed out.

"I'm sure Klaus will love the surprise," she said sarcastically.

"Probably just as much as I've enjoyed the surprise of finding you in this bed," he teased.

_Kol quickly flashed himself onto the bed so he was lying in the space beside her, his arms resting behind his head. _

_She shuffled over on the mattress and contemplated getting out altogether. _

"Any ideas as to what you'll be getting my brother for his big day?" Kol asked nonchalantly, as if platonic pillow talk was normal for them.

"No," she shrugged.

"Same. I was thinking about loaning him Bridget for the night," he said nodding towards the leggy brunette, "but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you and Nik have some sort of monogamous arrangement?" Kol added with a loathsome tone.

_While she and Klaus had never discussed the terms of their relationship, she thought monogamy was something that went without saying. _

"Maybe I could give Bridget to Nik for the night, and you could give him a threesome? We'd essentially be killing two birds with one stone," Kol laughed.

_Ugh. She hoped he was joking. _

"I can tell the idea makes you uncomfortable. Maybe some practice is in order? A ménage à quatre could be fun," Kol considered mischievously. "What do you think girls?" he called over to the two receptive women.

_He looked up at her with an innocent stare. _

"What do you say, darling?" he asked, beaming up at her with a wide smile.

_She scoffed and rolled her eyes, climbing out of the bed eagerly. _

"In your dreams," she hissed as she began to gather up her things.

_Sleeping on a sofa in one of the sitting rooms or parlour was preferable to Kol's relentless pestering. _

"Every night," Kol quipped, flashing himself in front of the bedroom doors to prevent her escape.

_He clearly made no effort to hide the fact that he was checking her out as his eyes looked over her. _

"God, that tank top and those shorts fit you like a glove," he admired.

_She sighed from exasperation as she grew more uncomfortable. _

"Kol, it's been a long day. I know, for whatever reason, you get some sick pleasure out of sexually harassing me, but it's been a long night and I'm tired, so just let me leave to find somewhere else to sleep, and you can continue harassing me in the morning," she offered, feigning politeness.

_He didn't seem convinced by her deal. _

"Not until I know why you're sleeping in Finn's old bedroom..." Kol challenged.

_So this wasn't Kol's room after all, it had been Finn's for a brief period of time. _

_Kol smirked. _

"This room is way to drab to be mine," he laughed. "This is where I keep my lady loves. I never was a fan of post-coital cuddling. Perhaps Niklaus is the same?" Kol wondered.

_She scowled and tried for the door once more, but Kol simply held his hand out in front of her. _

"Ah-ah," Kol warned. "I mean, we're practically family now; you're like my sister, you can tell me..." he pushed. "Does Nik snore? Hog the bed?" he continued.

"Two seconds ago you were propositioning your 'almost sister' to a foursome," she countered, trying to divert the topic.

_He laughed heartily. _

"Or is this like some sexual role playing game between the two of you? Sleeping in separate rooms?" Kol continued, completely disregarding her point.

_Groaning aloud she gave in to his persistent verbal jabs. _

"We had a disagreement. I'm giving him space. Something I wish you would learn how to do," she relented.

_The smile on Kol's face told her that was what he had been waiting to hear all along. _

"Maybe you could teach me how?" he suggested lewdly.

_She grumbled loudly and decided to play his game to her advantage. _

_Smirking jovially, she approached him slowly, hoping that just for a second he was convinced by her newly interested demeanour. _

_He returned her smile. _

_In his moment of gullible vulnerability, she used her vampire strength to push him clear across the room. _

_Both women rushed to his aid at the sight of him flat on his ass up against the wall. _

_He was now glaring at her with a look equal parts amusement and disbelief. _

"That is how you create space. Good night, Kol," she declared victoriously.

_Shaking her head in severe distaste, she left the bedroom with her belongings before he had a chance to retaliate. _

_Somehow she knew he wouldn't after having stood her ground._

* * *

_She found herself alone in the dimly lit upstairs hallway of the Mikaelson mansion. _

_She considered going home, but she didn't feel like it at this point. Nor did she feel like inciting Klaus even further. _

_There was Elijah and Rebekah, but the darkened shadow from under both Rebekah's and Elijah's doors seemed to suggest they were sleeping__,__ and she didn't want to disturb them. _

_She decided to go downstairs. She was sure out of the dozens of couches and sofas in the many sitting rooms that she could find one comfortable enough to sleep on, and there had to be something down there she could use as a blanket. _

_Walking down the hall towards the stairs, she took note of each of the paintings on the wall as she passed, wondering if they were famous stolen works, or ones that Klaus had painted himself over the years. _

_Once she approached the staircase, the doors to Klaus's room caught her attention. _

_In the midst of the hallway darkness, warm light from his room was pouring out through the cracks. _

_He was awake. _

_She stood there frozen as she tried to focus her thoughts as well as her hearing. _

_Her ears quickly picked up the soft sounds of classical music and the swift strokes of a paintbrush. His breathing was steady and concentrated, no longer stressed and frantic as it had been. She could sense the calmness. He was relaxed. _

_Perhaps now was the time to talk, she considered as she tried to replay her conversation with Elijah line by line in an effort to discern what she would say to him and how she would say it. _

_Or maybe it was too soon to approach him. Maybe it would end badly, she worried. _

_However, she didn't want to let the distance between them fester too long. Waiting longer could also make things worse. _

_Her brain hurt from all the possibilities and outcomes. She had no way of knowing how he would respond at any time. _

_She had to listen to her instincts, and despite her nerves, she could feel herself drawn to his room._

* * *

_He flung open the doors to his bedroom completely enraged. He was so angry he could barely hear his own thoughts. All he could see was red and all he could hear in his mind was akin to the bellowing of a freight train. _

_As he stormed through his room, he kicked over a table and lamp indiscriminately, the collapse of the table and shattering of the lamp barely putting a dent in his aggressive urges. _

_Moving for his desk, he ripped open the bottom drawer and pulled out one of his most prized bottles of aged whiskey. _

_He consumed the liquid eagerly straight from the bottle, slamming it back down on the desk surface as the amber liquid burned his throat. _

_Taking a moment to revel in the feeling of the liquor warming his stomach, for a split second he felt calmer. _

_That was until his very acute hearing took him to a place he didn't want to go. _

_He could hear a verbal exchange between Rebekah and his brother and then the sound of Caroline's faint cries. _

_Tightly closing his eyes, he tried hard to push the image of her tearful expression from his mind. _

_He slammed his fist against the solid wood of the desk when his efforts failed him. _

_What the hell had she been thinking tonight? He wondered furiously. He had never been so angry with her._

_Panic and anxiety hit him hard as he considered how tonight might have played out differently had Matt Donovan not filled him in. Here he thought that boy was completely useless. _

_He saw it all clear as day; Caroline going to the hunter's room, opening the door, turning on the light, stepping in the room when she was sure no one was there, and drunk off false confidence, tripping over that wire. If she was in just the right position, the first stake would have killed her instantly. If it missed, it would have been lodged somewhere inside of her threateningly close to her heart, and the wolf's venom would have made up for the missed shot. The next stake was for safe measure and would have paralyzed her further, while the third stake to the leg would have brought her down if she wasn't already dead. The combination of the wood and the venom would have rendered her immobile. She might have been able to fight it, but not in time to escape the hunter's return. Not in time for him to get there to help her. As a young vampire, she would be too weak. The hunter would find her and he would either let her succumb to the venom, or he would tear her heart out brutally as she struggled helplessly on the floor. He winced as the vivid image of played out in front of him as he paced the room. _

_And, even in the event that she had not fell victim to one of the hunter's booby traps or his own brute force and ended up killing him herself, she would have been tormented by hallucinations he himself had no idea how to stop. _

_Running his hands over his blood-stained clothes, he suddenly felt suffocated by them. _

_His hand hit the single stake he took from the room for further inspection and he pulled it out, along with the papers he collected and placed them on the desk before pulling frantically at his suit jacket. He threw it over the end of the bed and begun tearing at the shirt he had on underneath. The shirt was ripped where the stakes had pierced his body. The wounds on his torso had since healed, but his chest and stomach were stained with his blood. _

_It served as a reminder that it had been him who had been hit and not her. He had been there to intervene. _

_That reality sunk in further as he heard her voice downstairs with Elijah. _

_And while he was still fuming relentlessly over tonight, he almost felt relieved. _

_He knew eavesdropping was abhorrent, but he couldn't resist. Caroline had a tendency to open up to his brother on matters that concerned their relationship. _

_Listening as he went back for his bottle of whiskey, he heard her retell the events of the night to Elijah. _

_"Apparently Matt also told Klaus about the hunter; afraid that I would try and handle things on my own. So while I'm off snapping hybrid's necks and naively going after vampire hunters alone, it turns out Klaus arranged the dress, the flowers, and reservations at the resort as part of a dinner date guise enabling him not only to look into the hunter, but to make up for earlier by including me in the plan." _

_Her voice sounded regretful and that hit him hard. It also granted him a degree of satisfaction. _

_Tonight was supposed to have gone very differently than it had. He wanted to show her that she was important; that he valued her help; he wanted to be sure to include her. The dress, the flowers, the reservations, those were just afterthoughts, backdrops to the main event. It was the plan to capture the hunter with her that would have ultimately won her over, he knew. If things had gone according to plan, they'd have the hunter captured, and right about now, he'd be peeling her out of that sexy black dress either here or at the hotel. _

_"Forgive me Caroline, but I do have to side with my brother on one matter; going after the hunter alone was very reckless on your part," he reproached. "Surely I understand why you did not want to include Niklaus, but you could have come to Rebekah or I." _

_Further satisfaction came with Elijah's words. He felt validated in his anger. He had a reason to be upset; to be mad at her. He wasn't grasping at straws here or looking for a reason to be angry because she was angry with him. _

_Going after the hunter was severely reckless. It was senseless. The image of what might have happened to her had he not been here flashed through his mind once more. _

_While he disliked the idea of her not including him in any plan to capture the hunter, surprisingly he appreciated Elijah's suggestion that Caroline should have came to him or Rebekah. At least if she had of done that and something had gone wrong someone else would have been there. _

_He sipped on the bottle of whiskey as he started a fire in the fireplace, still listening to his brother's conversation with Caroline. _

_They laughed over the probability of Rebekah assisting Caroline and his reaction if he found out that either of his siblings had helped her. He scowled when Elijah suggested that he and Rebekah were probably listening in as they spoke. _

_Caroline seemed to buy into his insistence that she was stupid, while Elijah defended her. _

_"You're not stupid, Caroline. It was crude of my brother to have disparaged you like that tonight; he let his anger and impulse talk, rather than his heart. Much like Niklaus, your impulse could have got you into trouble tonight, but your intentions were honest, not stupid."_

_He thought back to how he had lashed out at Caroline in front of Elijah. He berated her. He insulted her. He demeaned her. He had let his anger speak for him. Instead of professing how terrified she made him, and how relieved he was to have been there, he let his rage take hold. He had been no better than Damon, he supposed. _

_Grovelling under his breath, he chucked the nearly empty liquor bottle into the fireplace. _

_The tears on Caroline's face tonight were the same tears she shed when she told him about what Damon had done to her. _

_He assured her he would never hurt her like that, and yet he had. _

_Caroline was far from stupid; although he was beginning to question her sanity when it came to involving herself with him. If he was being completely honest with himself she had carried out things quite well on her own tonight up to the trip wire; from snapping his hybrid's neck, to getting the room key card and assuring the room was empty, to physically taking him down if only for a brief moment. While dangerous, what she did was unbelievably brave. He had been right about her bravery. _

_And yet, her words to Elijah suggested that she thought he believed otherwise. She was wrong to think that. He had never intended to offend her; he just wanted to keep her safe. It pleased him to hear Elijah affirm as much. _

"_Niklaus is absolutely petrified by the prospect of losing you. While I'm sure he's upset that you went after the hunter without him, I'd be willing to bet that his anger tonight has more to do with the reality of how close he came to losing you than anything else. I would also hasten to say that he might even feel a little guilty; that he feels partially responsible for your actions tonight,"_

_Elijah's last sentence struck a chord with him. Did he feel guilty? Is that why he was so upset? Surely tonight would have went differently had he showed up at Caroline's house instead of sending Dean in his place. He knew tonight would have went differently had she not been so annoyed by his new role as teacher. She would have confided in him about the hunter. In either scenario she wouldn't have went after the hunter alone. She would have put herself at risk – she wouldn't have put herself at risk because of him. _

_Guilt was pesky little emotion; one that he had never felt more until her. _

_He returned to the desk to inspect the stake that had been lodged in his chest only hours ago as he continued to listen. _

_"I just don't want to fight anymore. I don't want him to be angry with me. I want him to at least acknowledge his wrongdoings."_

_He felt a small weight lift off his shoulders; deep down he wanted the same. _

_Running his fingers over the stake, the symbol served as further proof of his suspicions; this hunter was indeed one-fifth of the Five. _

_He examined the papers he had collected from the hunter's room. They were basically a haphazard portfolio of the vampires in town; both he and Caroline were among those listed, his family and her friends being the others. _

_He heard Elijah urge Caroline to put her pride aside and be the first one to speak; that disagreements were not to be made about winning or losing. _

_It frustrated him to hear Elijah say that. That's all disagreements ever were to him; being more right than your adversary and having them ultimately confess as much. He knew, however, there was truth in Elijah's words. The frustration he felt was no doubt his pride fighting against what he knew to be true. _

_Surprisingly, despite her own stubbornness, he heard Caroline acknowledge that Elijah was right. _

_Admittedly, with Caroline's confession he felt petty for taking off to his bedroom to sulk childishly, even though he had left in part because he knew his anger was getting out of hand. His instincts and Elijah's urging had prompted him to remove himself from the situation, knowing his words would only become crasser. He needed to calm down. Now he just felt silly. It almost prompted him to seek Caroline out and be the one to talk first – almost being the important word. _

_He tensed at the prospect of talking. Regardless of how angry he was feeling he hated uncomfortable confrontations. _

_While much of the burden would be placed on her, he was at a loss as to how he would respond. He didn't want to hurt her again, or disappoint her, he knew that much, but how could he have his anger validated without either of those things happening?_

_In his perfect world, he would calm down, she would become more agreeable, and they would move on from this as though nothing had happened. He knew it wasn't that simple. Caroline would never let that happen. _

_He felt relieved and conflicted when Elijah and Caroline decided it was best if she wait to confront him; to give him time to calm down. On the plus side, the delay would give him extra time to think. On the minus side, the delay would give him extra time to think. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep or function properly as he anticipated their encounter; he would only dwell on it. _

_But if that was what she wanted, so be it. He wasn't going to push things. He would let her come to him when she was ready. _

_In the meantime he figured it was probably best if he stopped eavesdropping. He felt immature and uncivilized. He knew he could trust Elijah with Caroline. He had taken care of her when he was unable, and had been the mediator of so many of their disputes. His intentions were honourable. He was certain now this would not become another Tatia situation. _

_Noticing again the dried blood on his torso, and the tear in his pants, he decided a shower was in order; not only would the shower rid him of the awful smell of old hybrid blood and sweat, it would clear his mind and discourage his curious habit of eavesdropping. He left his pants with the rest of his tattered and stained clothes with the point of discarding them tomorrow. _

_Focusing on washing the dried blood from his skin served as a decent distraction. Moreover, the noise of the water effectively prevented him from hearing his brother and Caroline even if he wanted to listen. Still, even in the shower, it was hard not to think about her. At first it was more of the same, frustration over her putting herself in danger, guilt over pushing her to do it, more guilt over lambasting her for it later on; but they had created a few memories in this room for his thoughts not to drift towards happier times. He thought about the time he had purposely walked in on her in the bath after he had taken her horseback riding...how flustered she looked when he dropped his towel...how beautiful she looked to him as he stole glances of her through the mirror. Then there was the shower they shared together more recently when they had spent the entirety of the day cooped up in his bedroom. She admitted the reason she took a bath that first time was because his shower intimidated her, so he took advantage. After instructing her on what buttons and knobs to push and turn, she was unexpectedly drenched by several unsuspecting shower tiles. He had a good laugh until she fought back with the removable showerhead. At some point their water fight ended with her back pressed against the tile and her legs firmly around his waist as they created more steam between them than the shower itself. _

_With that, he found himself smiling unintentionally as he finished his shower. He hated how a simple thought of her could break him down so easily...could subdue his anger. She was always getting the better of him...but perhaps that's how it was supposed to be. While she had enraged him to no end tonight, deep down he knew she didn't deserve his worst. Although hurtful, his comments earlier had been nowhere near his worst. _

_He dressed ready for sleep in grey sweatpants even though he knew sleep would be hard to come by tonight. _

_Back in his room he indulged in his curiosity by eavesdropping once more. It was virtually quiet in the house now. Both Rebekah and Elijah were sleeping and he could hear Caroline faintly rummaging around in the ensuite bathroom of his late brother Finn's bedroom; No doubt Elijah had shown her to the room under the belief that space and time to calm down was what he wanted now. It irked him slightly to know that she would sleep in any other room in this house but his. He felt this possessive urge to have her here with him, but he wouldn't go to her. He told himself he wouldn't. He would let her come to him. He wasn't above his pride tonight, he conceded. Elijah could criticize him all he wanted. _

_Unwilling to try for sleep, and tired of thoughts consumed by the hunter, his unfinished painting in the corner of his sitting room caught his eye. With the sudden inspiration to finish it, he approached the easel, but not before readying a record to drown out the unbearable quiet. He opted for the classical music of Chopin. It seemed fitting to immerse himself in music from the romantic age, as he had done with his painting. _

_A few minutes of effort soon turned into almost a half hour. _

_When he pried himself away from his work to turn the record over, that's when he heard the door to Finn's room open and close. _

_He hadn't even realized he had been concentrating his hearing like that for the short silence. _

_More music began to play, and he turned back to the easel, determined not to listen to the sound of her bare feet sweeping across the marble floor, nearing his room; determined not to smell the minty lavender scent of her freshly washed hair, drawing closer. _

_His body stiffened as he heard his door click open quietly. _

_A mixture of annoyance, excitement, fear, and relief moved through him as he remained with his back towards the door, strictly focused on his painting. _

_He couldn't deny, however, that while one ear was finely attuned to Chopin's piano music, the other was listening to her intently as she entered. _

_The door clicked shut behind her. _

_Immediately he could sense her anxiety, but he kept his composure and even managed a few effective strokes of his brush against the canvas. _

_By now her enamouring scent was overwhelming, competing against the aroma of whiskey, flame, and blood. _

_Still, he remained steadfast in his outward efforts to appear unaffected by her unrelenting charms. _

_He was angry, he reminded himself. She had almost gotten herself killed tonight. That wasn't acceptable. _

_She stopped at the bed, and for a moment he half expected her to climb into it, until he picked up the sound of her fingers running along the clothing he had worn earlier, focusing on the tears where the stakes had pierced the material and the dark stains of his blood. _

_He felt the pressure now to speak, but still, he remained quiet...stubborn. _

_A soft sigh of what sounded like frustration or regret escaped her lips, as she pressed on cautiously, moving past the broken furniture and into the sitting room closer to him. _

_He tensed upon hearing the wood floor complain under her feet as she drew nearer. _

_Should he turn around now? Should he confront her? What was her intent? Why was she here? _

_Feigning ignorance, he tried hard to examine his painting with a critical eye while he waited for her to make her move. _

_If it hadn't been for his heightened sense of hearing, she probably would have startled him; her movements were tranquil and controlled; barely audible to the normal human ear. _

_She was a few feet behind him at this point. If his judgement was correct, she was straight in line with his desk. Again, he could hear her hand reach out and touch the items he had placed there. First she studied the stake, wincing quietly when her fingertip had come into contact with some remaining wolf venom. The sound of her displeasure alarmed him, but he knew the venom could only hurt her if it was ingested into her system. She moved onto the papers he collected from the hunter. He wanted her to see those. He wanted her realize how much this hunter really did know about them...realize how dangerous that knowledge could be for them. _

_The papers dropped back onto the desk when she was finished with her brief once-over. _

_She exhaled almost determinedly as she turned back for him. _

_Small steps brought her inches away; she was standing directly behind him. He could feel her breath on his back. He set his brush down and cleaned his hands with a nearby rag. _

_Every muscle in his back went rigid when the palms of her hands and her fingertips brushed against his skin. _

_He didn't say anything to encourage her, but he said nothing to stop her either. _

_Taking it as silent approval, her lips feathered against his upper spine while her hands curled themselves around his waist._

His eyes closed as he took in the feeling of her warm body embracing him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

_His body tensed further with her apology, finding himself at a loss for words. _

"What I did tonight was irresponsible and selfish," she continued softly.

_Indeed, it was, but he continued to listen. Slowly his body began to relax. _

"Thank you," she started meekly. "If you hadn't been there tonight I..."

- "Don't," he urged, as his hands clenched instinctively around hers.

_He no longer wanted to talk about 'what-ifs.' He no longer wanted to entertain the possibility that she could have died tonight. _

"You're okay," he reaffirmed. "That's all that matters now," he continued.

"Because of you," she added.

_He finally turned around to face her, comforted to see her soft eyes gleaming back at him. _

"Don't thank me as though I might have chosen not to, love," he whispered. "I will always protect you," he said.

_She nodded as her eyes began to water. Her emotions were relentless and they unnerved him. Did that fact upset her? _

"I know," she breathed as a tear finally broke free and cascaded down her cheek.

_He caught it with his thumb and brushed it away. _

"I know," she repeated. "I've been too busy resenting that to appreciate it...to appreciate you," she murmured.

"I have been a tad overbearing," he conceded, swallowing hard.

_She laughed lightly through her tears. _

"Are we really going to fight about who was more wrong now?" she asked.

_He smiled, keeping quiet so she could continue. _

"I never understood that because you don't need my protection like I need yours. But I do now," she admitted. "Because if our roles were reversed, I would do anything to ensure that you were safe."

"I know you would," he admitted, surprisingly confident.

_She looked down as if to collect herself and figure out what to say next. _

_He picked her chin up. _

"I was wrong," he started anxiously. "I didn't mean what I said tonight. You're not stupid, sweetheart," he told her. "I-I was just..."

- "Scared?" she interrupted.

_Turning his gaze away towards the window as his cheeks began to warm, he nodded reluctantly. _

"I could have lost you tonight," he said, trying hard to swallow the painful lump in his throat, "and it would have been my fault...If I hadn't of alienated..."

- "Shhh," she protested as the palm of her hand rested against his cheek. "Don't. I thought we weren't going to talk about what-ifs?" she reminded him. "I'm right here. I didn't mean to scare you," she assured him soothingly.

_He turned back, his nose and lips nuzzled against the inside of her hand. _

"I'm scared too," she confessed to him. "The hunter didn't seem like a big deal until tonight. I was naive," she admitted.

_Clasping her hand against his cheek, he brought their hands down to their sides. _

"I need you more than I realized," she professed.

"As I you," he affirmed, brushing some hair from her face affectionately.

_She eyed him both hesitantly and questioningly and he wondered what she was preparing herself to say next. _

"I don't want to fight anymore," she relented.

_He nodded as he exchanged a knowing look of agreement with her. _

"Neither do I," he revealed.

_And he didn't. What was the use? With her in front of him now he could hardly remember why he had let himself get so angry in the first place. He was tired of being angry. _

_Cradling her jaw in his hands, he kissed her lips lightly and anxiously. _

_Perhaps a kiss was premature, perhaps it would earn him a slap across the face, but feeling her lips against his was what he needed in that moment. He wanted to feel her warmth; feel her skin against his. _

_To his relief, she kissed him back, slowly at first and then more desperately as their kiss deepened. _

_He curled his hands in the waves of her golden hair while hers slid down his chest and rested on his hips. _

_Her mouth tasted like minty toothpaste as he dared to explore it with his tongue._

_She met his tongue with her own, and they slid together in some slow dance as they reacquainted themselves with each other. _

_When she began to pull him by the hem waist of his pants towards the bed, he followed, although somewhat unsure. _

_He gazed lustfully at her as she sat back on his bed; her long bare legs were accentuated by the shorts she was wearing, and he could faintly decipher her stiffened nipples through the pink tank top she had on. Still, even as he climbed over top of her, he felt himself hesitating. _

_No, it's not that he didn't want her; he definitely did. The growing bulge in his pants said as much, but this didn't feel right, he thought. _

_She pulled him down by his neck, pressing her lips to his, while other tantalizing parts of her body pressed into him with equal measure. _

_He groaned lowly against her lips as she parted them for him. _

_Indulging himself in the taste of her candied lips, he kissed her a few more times before prying himself away. _

_He raised his head, appreciating her breathless and licentious expression before it turned to one of concern. _

"What?" she whispered nervously. "You're still upset, aren't you?" she assumed worriedly.

_Musing at her ability to jump to conclusions, he shook his head absently, fingering a few loose strands of her hair. _

"No, love, I'm not," he said.

"You don't want to have sex with me?" she asked self-consciously.

_He tried not to chuckle at how paranoid she was being. _

"No...I mean...of course I do," he stammered. "It's just...I like this...just this," he said, hoping she would understand what he meant without having to castrate himself further.

_She thought about it for a moment, before it clicked. Her lips curved into a small smile. _

"I like 'just this' too," she acceded with sparking eyes.

"Come here," he urged, pulling her along with him as he rested on his back against the pillows.

_She moved on her stomach and propped herself up on his chest with her forearms. _

"Are you okay?" she asked uneasily, shuffling her arm, realizing it had been over the spot where the stake had hit him.

_He nodded reassuringly. _

"I'm all healed. It was just some wood and wolf venom," he shrugged.

_A smile slowly appeared on her lips._

"Maybe I was referring to how I took you down hard in the hallway when you scared the shit out of me..." she proposed playfully.

_He laughed. Truthfully, he had not expected her to react that way. She surprised him. _

"You're tougher than you look," he conceded. "I kind of like when you play rough," he flirted, hoping she'd note the glint in his eye.

_She scoffed seemingly put off, although the rouge appearance of her cheeks said otherwise. _

_Things fell quiet for a moment as she eyed him pensively. _

"I guess I kind of ruined your plans for the night," she acknowledged. "It means a lot to me though...aside from what you made Dean do...you know...wanting to include me," she told him.

"I told you I would try to make up for my overbearing habits," he explained.

_He really wished the night had gone as he had planned it to go. _

"The dress; the flowers; the reservations; those were nice gestures too," she added.

"All part of the rouse to get us into the resort," he mused.

_Her eyebrow arched. _

"Even the room reservation?" she chuckled. "Because I think that was a rouse to get into my dress," she countered.

_He looked up at her with exaggerated seriousness. _

"The room was directly across the hall from the hunter's for a reason, love," he reminded her.

_Admittedly, she did have a point. The bed in their room probably would have proven to be too much of a distraction; they would have missed the hunter entirely. _

"It is kind of a pity though. I was too busy seething in my own anger to fully appreciate the dress I picked out," he said as he stroked her shoulder lazily.

"Something else to make up for?" she hinted. "You know that would have technically been a 'first date' for us, right? If you don't count the ball you conspicuously invited me to."

"I bought you a dress then too," he noted off-hand.

_Her observation had actually disappointed him. While he had filled Caroline's mind with dreams of foreign places and romance, he had never actually had the chance to give that to her yet. _

"Maybe a do-over this weekend for your birthday?" she suggested.

_His ears perked up at her idea, certain that he had never mentioned his birthday to her before. _

"Elijah told me," she said, knowing exactly the question he was about to ask.

_He nodded. Of course, it was Elijah. _

"I had a run in with your other brother tonight..." she said unexpectedly.

_Her mention of Kol startled him and he cocked his head in intrigue. _

"What?" he asked.

"Apparently he's returned from Vegas to celebrate your birthday," she informed him. "He stumbled into the room I was sleeping in with two ladies – or souvenirs as he referred to them as. Apparently he likes to use Finn's old room to entertain his female company," she stated.

_Kol's latest actions made the blood in his system begin to boil and he shot up in bed with the intention of disturbing Kol as Kol had disturbed Caroline. His younger brother lacked manners and tact. He could only imagine what had transpired between Caroline and his brother upon him finding her asleep in Finn's old room. _

"I'll kill him," he said simply as he went to climb off the bed.

_She grabbed his arm to stop him. _

"Klaus, it's okay. He didn't hurt me. He was just up to his usual tricks and routine harassment," she told him.

_He persisted in his effort to go after Kol, but she stopped him again. _

"You shouldn't have to put up with his behaviour," he scowled.

_She shook her head in agreement. _

"You're right, and I didn't. I handled it," she told him proudly.

_He eyed her curiously as laid back down. She flashed him a mischievous grin. _

"You handled it?" he probed.

_She nodded with an amused expression on her face. _

"Let's just say you're not the only Mikaelson I took down tonight," she mused.

_He arched an eyebrow in her direction as they resumed their previous positions, before laughing at the mental image that crossed his mind of Kol being put in his place by Caroline_

_She impressed him. He was pleased that she seemed to be getting the hang of all his siblings – even Kol. _

"You're not going to let me live that down are you?" he asked.

"Nope," she declared proudly, resting her chin against his chest.

_He allowed his eyes to close briefly as he listened to the steady sound of her breathing and concentrated on the strangely comforting feeling of her fingertips swaying against his arm. _

"Will I be calling you Mr. Mikaelson tomorrow?" she asked reluctantly.

_His eyes opened to find hers staring at him. He knew a question like that was coming. _

"Do you want to?" he asked equally as reluctant as he ceded control of his fate as Mystic Falls' history teacher to the unrelenting beautiful blonde vampire draped over him.

_She lifted her head with a sigh as she considered his question seriously. _

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Elena won't like it," she said.

"Would you like it?" he countered, unconcerned about Elena and what she wanted at this point.

_If Elena was going to be upset about anyone in the class, it should be his sister Rebekah, anyways, he thought. _

"I really hated the idea," she pointed out.

"Hated?" he inquired, noting the past-tense.

"Yeah, but after tonight with the hunter, the idea of having you around – even as my teacher – is assuring. Plus Mystic Falls High needs a consistent history teacher for the rest of the term...and a few of the Council members work at the school. It might be a good way to keep an eye on them...while you're keeping an eye on me _from a distance_," she stressed.

"What about Elena?" he asked.

"She already hates me. It's not like this was my idea, anyways. Besides, if having you at the school means the hunter stays away from me, that means he stays away from Elena too and all my other friends," she pointed out.

"And us?" he asked anxiously.

"We're vampires," she reminded him smugly.

_He nodded bemusedly. _

"We kept it a secret before," she added. "Besides, giving you a hard time in class could be mildly entertaining," she decided.

_As he narrowed his eyes at her, his lips broke into a smirk at the prospect of her toying with him. _

_This was, however, more about fun, he thought. While he couldn't put it into words to express to her, he felt relieved that she was making this sacrifice._

"Thank you," he stated lowly, almost hoping she wouldn't hear his appreciation.

_Another extended silence penetrated their conversation. _

"What's plan C for the hunter?" she wondered, moving on from one touchy subject to the next with ease.

_He shrugged. _

"It's safe to assume Connor Jordan will no longer be residing at the posh resort he's been staying at after tonight. He'll probably fly under the radar for a bit. We'll need to do some digging, I imagine...stay on our toes," he concluded. "I was right about him not being your average vampire hunter," he added, opening the door for all to be revealed to her about this special hunter.

_She eyed him curiously. _

"He's part of the Five," he started nervously, wondering if should continue.

"The Five?" she asked confused.

"The Brotherhood of the Five is a group of vampire hunters highly skilled by magic. I believed them to be dead – having killed all of them centuries ago – but apparently membership is passed down. Connor has the hunter's mark, and the symbol of the Five was carved into the stake I took," he explained further, awaiting a barrage of questions.

_She rested her cheek against his chest. _

"So we really need to get rid of this guy..." she concluded.

_He chuckled and shook his head. _

"It's more complicated than that. Killing one of them triggers dangerous hallucinations," he revealed.

"You don't have them?" she asked suspiciously.

"No...but I did...for fifty-two years, four months and nine days. They just stopped. I don't know how," he told her.

_She gave him a sympathetic look. _

"So there are four more out there somewhere? And the hunter's mark? What does all this mean?" she asked worriedly.

"Perhaps, but this is the first I've seen of one of them since all those years ago. The hunter's mark is a tattoo...it's a map that can only be deciphered with an original sword of the brotherhood; it leads to a cure," he said slowly, knowing what was about to come next.

_Her eyebrows furrowed against his skin. _

"A cure for what?" she wondered.

"Vampirism," he sighed.

_His revelation caused her head to shoot up while her eyes bore down at him. _

"Oh my god," she breathed.

_He nodded as he tried to determine the tone of her surprised reaction. _

"Which is why we need to capture this hunter," he stated.

_She glared at him in shock. _

"You want the cure?" she asked.

_It was obvious she believed he wanted the cure for himself. _

"Not for me..." he clarified, knowing this would open another can of worms he was not sure they could handle.

_Her eyes widened as she was quick to connect the dots. _

"Elena...you want it for Elena...for hybrids," she realized, her face quickly falling.

"I want it for Elena because I know she wants it and I know it could be what returns you to her good graces. I figure the least she could do to show her gratitude would be to make a small blood donation," he corrected.

_He didn't want this to lead to another fight, but he could feel the air thicken as her body tensed. _

"I thought the hybrid thing was settled," she started before chewing her lip in preparation for his answer.

_Sighing, he let himself make eye contact with her. _

"I know how you feel about hybrids," he began. "It's not a slave army of hybrids that I want," he tried to reassure her. "Just a few that I can call on every now and then...especially with the Five running around again."

_She didn't look convinced. _

"I'm sure we could reach a compromise of sorts on the ethics of it," he proposed hopefully.

_She mulled over his suggestion for a moment.  
_

"We'll figure it out if or when we find the cure," she said vaguely, offering neither approval nor disapproval, but a conflicted on the fence response.

_Exhaling with a long huff, she rested her head back down against his chest. _

_There was a lingering question his mind was burning to ask, but he remained quiet. _

"Do the Five have a weapon that could kill you?" she asked apprehensively.

"Besides the possibility of a cure, not that I'm aware," he replied, hoping to ease her troubled mind.

_She released yet another drawn out sigh. _

"You would never want to be human again?" she wondered.

_He shook his head decidedly, feeling his entire body perspire as he prepared himself to ask her what she had just asked of him. _

"Would you ever want to be human again?" he questioned.

_She mimicked his movements by shaking her head, before whispering,_"I told you that I wanted an eternity."

* * *

**A/N: I expect that some of you will be disappointed with the lack of smut, but given the mood and tone of the moments between Klaus and Caroline in this chapter, I just didn't feel it was appropriate...yet. What's to come for them next? Perhaps some smut? More teacher Klaus? Klaus's birthday? Another moment between Elena and Caroline? Wolf Klaus? Some Kol/Caroline/Klaus banter? Elijah/Caroline? Caroline/Rebekah? I have a general idea, but I need to fill in the blanks. It's up to you folks. Review maybe?  
**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: First, I just want to say how happy I am that you enjoyed the last chapter. It was a tough one to write, so it's a good feeling to know the end result was well received. Your reviews were – as always – amazing and thoughtful, and I was glad that you took the time to let me know what you want to see in future chapters. While I'm sure it doesn't all happen in this chapter, hopefully you will see what you want to see by the time this fic is finished. **

**I apologize for the delay in an update, but if you take a look at how small your scrolly bar is on your right, that's my explanation. **

**I tried to edit this the best I could, but my head is kind of cloudy with illness so forgive me if there are any mistakes or inconsistencies. **

**Surprisingly, this was only meant to be a bit of a light-hearted filler chapter after my last, more intense, update. I hope you enjoy it regardless, there's a lot of fan-favourites in here, a lot of characters make appearances in this chapter, there's some naughty flirting, and even a smutty little treat for you at the end *blushes* You were warned.**

* * *

_She awoke the next morning to a bellowing cell phone alarm._

_Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she outstretched her legs and arms to find him missing. _

_With a small frown, she rubbed her eyes to clear her vision. _

_She chuckled to herself when she realized she had been asleep in the very centre of the bed and she wondered if this was how she slept the entire night. Perhaps that's why Klaus was missing. _

_Sitting up in bed, she could smell the sweet taste of blood in the air. There was a glass of blood on the nightstand with a piece of paper contained underneath and her cell phone beside it. _

_Reaching for the cell phone first, she silenced the alarm. _

_There was a text from her mother. _

_'A hybrid named Dean tells me you're safe with Klaus. I'd like an explanation sometime today.' - Mom _

_That message was sent earlier this morning, likely when her mother was finished her shift. Mention of Dean made her curious to know whether her mom had to deal with the sight of his kidney on the porch. Had Dean really stayed there all night and waited for her mom? Did Klaus tell him to? _

_Disregarding her questions, she sent a quick response to her mom and then focused on the glass of blood and the note. _

_'Teachers should arrive to school before their students. I had Kol fetch you your car. See you this afternoon. - Klaus' _

_She smiled at the note, musing at one of Klaus's old fashioned habits; a text message would have easily sufficed, she thought. The part about Kol made her laugh. She could just imagine Klaus barging into Kol's room and demanding he go retrieve her car from the resort parking lot. He deserved that, she supposed. _

_Taking a moment to lie back down, she revelled in the luxury of having this gigantic bed to herself. Maybe she would skip school today? How would Mr. Mikaelson feel about that? _

_She laughed under her breath welcoming the huge sense of relief that flooded her mind as she recalled how last night ended. _

_Never did she expect that her efforts to apologize and resolve things with Klaus would go as smoothly as they did. She anticipated a yelling match and a trade of harsh words between them, but it had turned out quite the opposite. Elijah had been right about Klaus, thankfully. Her own instincts had not misled her either. She loathed thinking about what she would have done had Klaus rejected her efforts. _

_But he hadn't. It was not just a dream; it was real. She had fallen asleep against him soon after their discussion of this supposed cure and at some point he had moved her to leave the bed. _

_With that pleasant thought in mind, she stretched once more and climbed out of bed. _

_She would reluctantly have to find Rebekah to borrow more clothes. _

_She quietly opened Klaus's door but all efforts to be discreet were ruined when she inadvertently bumped into a determined Rebekah who was heading for the stairs, in a pink fleece housecoat._

"Oh my god," she exclaimed.

"You scared the shit out of me," Rebekah gasped.

_Rebekah's eyes darted into the room she had emerged from, realizing it was obviously not Finn's. _

"I assume you and my brother resolved your differences," Rebekah sneered. "Where is Nik?" she asked.

"He left already for school," she replied bemusedly.

_Rebekah scoffed. _

"You mean you didn't talk him out of it?" Rebekah complained.

_She shook her head. _

"Some battles are better left unfought," she shrugged. "Besides, there could be some benefits to having your brother around at the school..."

_Rebekah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. _

"What? So you can shag him in the janitor's closet during free period?" Rebekah scowled.

_Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. _

"No!" she laughed. "I mean benefits related to keeping the hunter away and keeping an eye on some Council members who just happen to be school staff members," she clarified.

_Rebekah didn't look convinced. _

"You'll only have him as your teacher for one period Rebekah, plus it could be fun," she pointed out.

"Fun?" Rebekah inquired.

"Yeah fun, like as in pestering him and giving him a hard time," she explained.

_Rebekah smirked. _

_Mission accomplished, she thought to herself. _

"Speaking of school, we're both going to be late if we don't start getting ready," Rebekah noted.

_She nodded as she eyed Rebekah hopefully. _

"Do you think you have some clothes for me to borrow?" she asked.

_Rebekah gave her a knowing and disgusted look as she headed back for her bedroom. _

"Nothing that you can seduce my brother with," she joked.

_She followed Rebekah into her room and into the closet. _

"You still haven't returned the last items of clothing you borrowed from me," Rebekah chastised as she began to go through the piles of mostly brand new items.

"It slipped my mind. I have them at home. I can bring them to you," she offered. "Just give me some sweatpants and a sweater; we're doing a dissection in biology today, so things will probably get messy."

"I'll need a ride to school for this," Rebekah negotiated. "I don't want to find any bits of dissected frog on my clothes when you return them either."

_She nodded, accepting Rebekah's terms. _

"Actually, we're dissecting pig fetuses," she told Rebekah.

"Oh yuck!" Rebekah exclaimed with a mortified expression. "What are you going to wear after biology?" Rebekah questioned.

_Smiling mischievously, she shrugged. _

"We're selling prom tickets at lunch right? Nothing says school spirit like our cheerleading uniforms," she said innocently.

_Rebekah groaned and made a gagging noise. _

"School spirit?" Rebekah retorted. "Please, I know exactly why you're putting that uniform on, and I want to barf," she complained.

"I'm not trying to _seduce_ Klaus, if that's what you're implying; just giving him a hard time," she mused.

_Rebekah's expression of disgust contorted. _

"Same thing!" Rebekah sighed, tossing her some black yoga pants, a turquoise tank top, and black zip up sweater.

_Upon dressing into the clothes, she offered an anxious Rebekah fashion advice, knowing her talk with Matt would happen at some point today. _

_A surprisingly generous Rebekah also gave her access to her abundant supply of makeup and hair products, which she used not only on herself, but on Rebekah who continued to seek her second opinion. _

_It seemed fashion and beauty was two things they could agree upon. Amazingly, they didn't bicker once, save for when she caught some of Rebekah's hair in the flat iron she used. _

_While she was coming to appreciate having Rebekah around for these girlish amusements and pursuits, she did find herself missing these moments with Elena._

_Thoughts of Elena made her nervous, as she knew Elena would most likely be returning to school today. Not only would they cross paths, but Elena would be confronted with both Rebekah and Klaus in the same room. Hopefully Stefan could help mediate the situation. _

_With both she and Rebekah ready for the day, they descended the stairs to Rebekah's insistence that they have breakfast with Elijah and Kol before school. _

_She would have really preferred not to see Kol at all, but she wasn't about to pick a fight with Rebekah now after how accommodating she had been. _

_Kol entered the front doors just as she and Rebekah reached the bottom of the stairs. _

"Your chariot always your highness," Kol said with a mocking tone as he bowed before her.

_She scoffed incredulously and Rebekah eyed them both with confusion. _

"I retrieved her car from the resort. Nik so much as threatened to rip my head off if I didn't," Kol explained as he stood up straight. "I take it the two of you made up last night?" Kol smirked.

_Rolling her eyes she gave him her best fake smile before turning for the kitchen. _

"Why do I get the impression you two already bumped into each other?" Rebekah asked.

"Because we did," Kol said giddily, following the two of them.

"He stumbled into Finn's room last night while I was sleeping with his...what did you call them Kol? Souvenirs?" she asked. "Two girls he picked up from Vegas," she told Rebekah disapprovingly.

_Rebekah looked at Kol maliciously while Kol cackled delightfully in response. _

_She shrugged. _

"I suppose I should be thanking you," she started, "if you didn't force me out of the room, I never would have settled things with Klaus."

_Kol held his hands up defensively. _

"I didn't force you to leave darling. In fact, I recall inviting you to stay," he corrected.

_Rebekah hit him on the shoulder. _

"You're disgusting," she said to her brother, as they entered the kitchen.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he said as he stuffed a half of a muffin into his mouth from the platter on the counter.

_Elijah was seated at the round table in the corner and he eyed the three of them curiously as he sipped from a coffee mug. _

"Caroline, let me apologize for Kol's poor manners. Niklaus told me briefly what happened before he left," Elijah said, as she followed Rebekah's lead and took a seat at the table beside Elijah.

_Of course, Kol took the seat beside her. _

"Then I'm sure he also told you how I handled it?" she asked Elijah with a smirk as she helped herself to some food.

_Elijah chuckled, looking in Kol's direction. _

"Indeed," he replied.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked curiously, as she covered her plate with food.

"Well it's my understanding that Caroline physically put Kol in his place," Elijah mused.

_Rebekah snorted at Kol, who responded by throwing a nectarine from the fruit platter in her direction. _

"I love it when you're angry," Kol teased her, extending his arm over the back of her chair.

_She lifted his arm from her chair. _

"That's not what your face said last night when I knocked you down," she said, knowing her defiant words had support from both Rebekah and Elijah.

_Elijah clasped his hands together loudly in an effort to distract from the tension. _

"Let's discuss Niklaus's birthday tomorrow," he proposed as they ate.

"I'm working on getting a few kegs," Kol piped up excitedly.

_Everyone glanced at Kol in disbelief. _

"Kol, Nik isn't some frat boy who just turned twenty-one for Christ's sake. He's going to be a millennium," Rebekah chided.

_She smiled at Rebekah's comment and looked to Elijah for his opinion. _

"I was thinking a dinner...perhaps you could extend the invitation to your friends, it could help make them more agreeable? At the very least it would ensure that we were on the same page with the issue of the hunter," he suggested.

_She nodded, even though the idea of inviting her not-so-friends to Klaus's birthday made her uneasy. _

"Lame! So lame!" Kol groaned. "Come on! I want a party; drinking, music, dancing. I didn't come back to Mystic Falls for some stuffy dinner," he complained.

_While she hated the idea of agreeing with Kol, he did make a good point. _

_She wanted Klaus to have fun and enjoy himself. _

"Maybe a compromise?" she suggested.

"I like that idea best," Rebekah agreed.

_Elijah shrugged approvingly. _

"Will you help me out, my little party planner?" Kol asked her.

"Perhaps Caroline should be in charge of keeping Niklaus occupied tomorrow while we take care of the details?" Elijah interjected before she could answer Kol.

"Unfortunately you're probably right, Elijah," Kol agreed. "Nik can be such a control freak."

_On the one hand she was relieved she wouldn't have to help Kol, on the other she was worried that without her help he would go overboard with his plans. _

"You plan the dinner Elijah, I'll help Kol with the rest of the party...to keep him in check," Rebekah proposed.

"It's settled then," Elijah concluded.

_Kol grovelled. _

"But Bekah, you're just as controlling as Nik...you'll stifle my creativity," Kol bemoaned.

"A keg is creative?" Rebekah countered.

_She smirked inwardly at the sibling bickering unfolding before her as she finished her breakfast. _

_Before long, Kol threw in the towel deciding to occupy himself with his souvenirs, while Rebekah decided to do one last outfit change before they left for school. _

_This left her alone with Elijah. _

"I am truly sorry Caroline, I didn't expect Kol to be paying us a visit at such a late hour; nor did I expect he would be using Finn's old room for guests," Elijah apologized. "He has a tendency of deriving amusement from others' discomfort."

_She shrugged with a smile. _

"Its okay, Elijah. I'm getting used to him. He's harmless," she assured him, gazing passively out one of the large windows to the backyard grounds.

_Elijah set his utensils down and pushed his empty plate aside. _

"I gather from Niklaus's chipper mood and what little he had to say on the subject that you two have reconciled?" Elijah probed.

_Her smile grew a little wider as she nodded. _

"We have. Thanks to your advice," she told him.

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied as Rebekah returned to retrieve her.

* * *

_She expected the car ride to be one of awkward silence, but she found herself surprised again as she and Rebekah spent the entire ride complaining about Kol, discussing Klaus's birthday, and plans for prom. _

_While she now had an idea of what to get Klaus for his birthday after last night, she still asked Rebekah for advice as they pulled into the school parking lot. _

"I think Nik will be quite pleased with the Rembrandt painting I procured for him," Rebekah said proudly.

"Procured?" she asked Rebekah with a judgemental tone.

_Rebekah shrugged. _

"Okay, compelled into my possession," she relented.

_Stealing through compulsion made her uncomfortable, but she found herself laughing along with Rebekah's admission. _

"Just put a bow on your head, I'm sure Nik would love that," Rebekah said distastefully as they climbed out of the car.

_They both spotted Matt walking into the school with Tyler and Rebekah reacted by straightening out her appearance. _

_She smiled faintly at Rebekah's desperation. _

"Remember, Matt only wants to talk today at some point," she reminded her.

"I know," Rebekah snapped, a worried expression written across her face.

"I just don't want you to get your hopes...up," she said as Elena and Bonnie walked passed them a few feet in the distance.

_Indifferent and anxious eye__-__contact was exchanged. _

"Well today should be interesting," Rebekah declared as they headed for the school entrance.

_As she walked uncomfortably in a pair of Rebekah's half-size too small grey flats she couldn't help but notice Klaus's SUV in the staff parking lot. _

_Yes, today would be very interesting._

* * *

_She and Rebekah parted ways for their lockers once inside, and she changed into her running shoes immediately, hoping Rebekah's shoes had not given her a blister in the short time she had them on. _

_When she arrived to first period, Matt was already there, and Tyler was also present this time. _

_They both eye her as she took her seat. _

_She felt obliged to ask Tyler how he was feeling, so she did. _

_He gave her a blunt one-worded 'fine,' so she decided to discontinue her effort. _

_At least he was speaking to her, right? _

"Hey," Matt whispered from her other side. "Did you check that _thing_ out with Klaus?" he asked cryptically as she turned to face him.

_He was obviously referring to the hunter. Given the uneasy ground their friendship was on, she decided not to scold him for telling Klaus about the lead. If anything, she should be thanking him. Had he not told Klaus, she would have ended up at that resort alone... _

_She nodded, before she reached into her purse to text him the details of what happened. _

_Bonnie entered the class as she sent the text. There was a solemn expression on her face. Immediately she believed it had to do with her, but she couldn't be sure. _

_As Bonnie took her seat in front of her, she wondered how the trip to Whitmore College went yesterday. _

_Thankfully, Matt was ahead of the game and asked for her. _

_Bonnie looked to Matt, and then to her warily, as though uncomfortable with divulging the details with her there clearly eavesdropping. _

_Still, Bonnie answered Matt with a shake of her head and a worried stare. _

"What happened? Is Elena okay?" she asked, disregarding the silent treatment Bonnie had forced her into.

_Bonnie sighed and debated about whether or not to speak. _

"I think Damon's methods made things worse," Bonnie admitted. "She was completely revelling in the blood lust...in Damon," she added quietly.

_Her eyes widened at the news and despite how unreasonable Elena was being with her, she felt bad for her friend. _

"She hung off Damon's every word, she wouldn't even listen to me," Bonnie explained. "I don't know what to do."

_She shrugged helplessly. _

"Well Elena wants nothing to do with me. Maybe Stefan talked some sense into her when you got back?" she wondered.

"I don't know," Bonnie said.

_She frowned. _

_Bonnie turned back around soon after that, as though surprised by the fact she had just effortlessly engaged in a conversation with her when she was supposed to be upset. _

_She sighed as she opened her textbook. Perhaps their conversation would make Bonnie realize how ridiculous ostracizing her over Klaus really was._

* * *

_To her surprise, the dissection in biology went off without a hitch. She fully expected to spill the contents of her stomach during the lab, but after her partner nearly passed out, she took over the entire procedure. It seemed becoming a vampire had strengthened her gag reflex. The clothes she borrowed from Rebekah also remained unsoiled. Biology had been a success overall. _

_English, however, would be another story she anticipated as she slipped through the mass of students who were also on their way to their next classes. _

_She had not seen Klaus – er Mr. Mikaelson - once yet today. Maybe that was a good thing, she thought. That led her to wonder if Elena had seen him yet. Surely Stefan had informed her with the news to prepare her for what she would be walking into this afternoon. _

_When she arrived to English class she was dismayed to find Stefan's seat vacant. Fully expecting Elena to be a no-show, she was a little stunned when an antsy looking Elena took her seat beside Stefan's empty one. _

_Since most of the class was comprised of independent study time while the teacher marked assignments, there was not much opportunity for she and Elena to cross paths, although their eyes did meet from time to time. _

_Even for being a vampire, Elena looked haggard. She looked tired and almost sad. Despite her worry, she didn't confront Elena when she darted out of the classroom as the bell for lunch rang. _

_Instead, she texted Stefan and scurried off to her own locker for her cheer uniform. _

_She changed into the outfit in the washroom, thanking her lucky stars when she found a pair of the matching red boy shorts she usually wore underneath the uniform's skirt in her gym bag. The skirt was always a little short, especially for the complex routines they did. Fixing her hair, she laughed to herself in the mirror at the prospect of Klaus – Mr. Mikaelson – seeing her like this. Just because she agreed to his teacher character, didn't mean she would make it easy for him. _

_Rebekah already had the table and posters set up in the concourse outside the cafeteria when she arrived. Luckily, one of the other committee girls was wearing the timberwolf mascot costume, so she didn't feel entirely out of place in her cheer outfit. When Rebekah noticed her, she simply smirked and shook her head disdainfully. _

_She sat down beside Rebekah. _

"You will regret toying with my brother," Rebekah said laughingly.

_She shrugged and brushed her hair off her shoulder. _

"We'll see," she said simply.

_Rebekah handed her the small cash drawer. _

"You're in charge of the money. I'll fill out the tickets," she told her.

_She nodded without protest, although mentally making change was not one of her strong suits. _

_It was only the first day of ticket sales, and half-way into the lunch hour there was a decent line-up of students waiting to buy tickets for the event. It was exciting. This was her prom – well her and Rebekah's prom if she felt like being fair – and it already seemed as though it would be a huge success. _

_And in the midst of dealing with the ticket demands, she caught sight of him. _

_Her chest tightened, and if she had a heart, she was sure it would be pounding frantically. He made her nervous, but in a good way; in the butterflies in the stomach sort of way. _

_It probably had a lot to do with the fact that in this setting he was her teacher and she had to hide her true emotions, but she couldn't anticipate a day where a glimpse of him wouldn't stir something inside of her. _

_He was impeccably dressed as usual, even though it was technically dress-down day for staff on Fridays. To his credit, he was missing the jacket and tie this time. Moreover, the white collared shirt he was practically modelling was partly unbuttoned and his sleeves were rolled up just under his elbows. Still, the grey dress pants and black leather shoes contradicted his efforts at casual__._

_Even if she had still been angry with him today after last night, her eyes still would have managed to find an excuse to stare and admire. _

_She kept her eyes on him as he approached with Mrs. Jones, the vice principal, who, if she could hear correctly, was chatting his ear off about how she studied history during her undergrad. Little did she know that Klaus had lived the history she studied, she mused. _

_As they got closer, she saw him take note of the prom banner above her and Rebekah before his attention dropped lower. He made direct eye contact with her as he passed with Mrs. Jones, a sly smirk playing on his lips; one that she reciprocated as her mouth went dry and her body went slack. _

"Hey, can I get my change?" a familiar female voice requested, snapping her out of her trance.

_She looked up to see Elena extending four twenty dollar bills in her direction. _

"Oh yeah, sorry," she stammered. "I was completely out of it...not paying attention," she said, making polite small talk as she took Elena's money and gave her back a five.

_Elena gave her a small smile and nodded. _

_She wondered briefly if Elena had seen Klaus yet or not. _

_Rebekah took two tickets from the stack and readied her pen, before Elena stopped her_

"One ticket is for me, but can you leave the other one blank?" she asked.

"Well we like to have the names written down of who is attending for place cards and to ensure that non-students without permission slips aren't attending," Rebekah said with a lowly bitchy tone.

_Wasn't Elena taking Stefan to prom? What the hell was going on? _

"Give her a blank ticket," she interrupted.

_Rebekah glared at her in protest. _

"Just do it," she urged.

_Sighing, Rebekah handed Elena a ticket with her name and a blank one, before writing Elena's name on their guest-list in progress. _

_Elena gave her an appreciative look before disappearing down the hall. _

"What the hell was that about?" Rebekah whispered.

_She shrugged as she accepted money from another student-customer. _

"I don't know..."

_Rebekah leaned in closer to her. _

"P.S. I think there's a little bit of drool on your chin," Rebekah snorted, referring to the sighing of Klaus. "You may want to try and be a bit more discreet," she joked.

* * *

_She had scrambled to help Rebekah and the other girls take down the table and banners for prom tickets towards the end of the lunch hour so she could scurry off quickly to history class and arrive early. _

_Looking through the small window in the door to the classroom, she saw no one. _

_Smiling at the small dash of luck, she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. _

_Hurriedly, she rushed towards his desk, keeping an ear on the hallway for any incoming students. _

_She opened the top drawer. _

_When the bell complained to announce the end of lunch she nearly jumped a foot in the air, and the sound of Klaus's approaching voice almost literally put her stomach in her throat. _

_Taking a brief second to calm herself, she slipped the dainty red material into the drawer, slamming it shut just as Klaus opened the door. _

_He eyed her with a suspicious smirk. _

"Miss. Forbes," he greeted.

"Mr. Mikaelson," _she smiled, noticing the way his eyes travelled down her body. _

_Her smile was quickly replaced with a frown when Jennifer Hastings appeared in the doorway behind him like a dependent puppy dog. _

"I didn't know it was still cheer season?" he remarked as he rounded his desk and she stepped back.

"It isn't," Jennifer stated.

_Her eyes darkened at Jennifer before returning to a calmer expression as she looked in Klaus's direction. _

"No, it isn't. But Rebekah and I are selling prom tickets at lunch now, and this was the only spirit wear I had in my locker," she reasoned.

_Klaus shrugged. _

"I suppose I can't fault you for wanting to get into the spirit then," Klaus mused, setting his bag on the desk. "However, I am curious to know what you were doing so early in my classroom, behind my desk no less?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

"...um...cleaning the boards!" she stammered. "I got here early after helping Rebekah, and some students must have been in here during lunch and they made a mess with the chalk," she explained.

_Both Klaus and Jennifer looked at her distrustfully. _

"Oh, well thanks," Klaus said. "Miss. Hastings, you said you had something to show me?" Klaus asked, completely disregarding her for Jennifer.

_Jennifer's eyes lit up as she turned her admiring attention towards Klaus. She opened a binder. _

"These are some of the primary documents I found related to the First World War," she said excitedly.

_She wanted to be sick. _

_Knowingly acting on her jealous impulse, she stopped Jennifer in her tracks before she could approach Klaus any further. _

_She put on a bright fake smile as Jennifer looked at her with annoyance. _

_Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed her attention with compulsion. _

"Um, I don't think Mr. Mikaelson wants to hear about your boring research. So maybe you should take a seat before class starts, okay?" she said in a bubbly but sarcastic voice.

"You're right," Jennifer said with an apologetic laugh. "Sorry," she continued, before turning for her seat.

_She looked back victoriously at Klaus who was clearly amused by the scene that had just taken place. _

_He was about to speak, but a group of students entered the classroom and she took the interruption as an opportunity to take her seat. _

_Rebekah entered soon after the first group and shot a snarky glance in her brother's direction as he prepared his notes for the class. _

_She smirked to herself. _

"Hello class," Klaus started, slipping on those damn glasses again before continuing, "I'm glad to see most of you back...I suppose that means I didn't intimidate you with my intensive plans for the rest of the term," he mused, approaching the lectern with the attendance sheet and his notes. "Then again, it's probably too late to drop the course anyways."

_He went silent for a few moments as he eyed his papers before proceeding with the attendance. _

_She fought the urge to be hypnotized by how...sexy...the class list sounded coming from his lips. _

"Caroline?" he called.

"Here," she responded, this time a little over-zealously.

_Klaus chuckled. _

"Enthusiastic attendance response doesn't count as a part of your participation grade," he joked, provoking a bit of laughter from the rest of the class – including Rebekah. "Just in case any of you were wondering," he added, staring in her direction before returning to the list.

_Her brows furrowed at his attempt to embarrass her. _

_Any attempt to seethe in her annoyance was halted by the door clicking open just as Klaus said Elena's name. _

_Speak of the devil she thought as Elena stepped into the doorway. _

"Elena, I presume?" Klaus asked smartly as a very stunned and unsure Elena entered the room, glaring first at Klaus and then at her.

_Elena said nothing in response, turning down the row of desks to her seat while Klaus checked her off on the attendance anyways. _

"And as I'm sure you've already presumed, I'll be your history teacher for the rest of the term," Klaus said to a very uninterested Elena. "Mr. Mikaelson," he finished, grinning at Elena's sarcastic reaction.

_She tried hard to look away from Elena, but she could almost feel Elena's burning anger. It was nothing new though. She had been dealing with Elena's anger for a while. She could handle this. Klaus teaching their class wasn't something she was entirely happy about either, but it had its benefits. And no, she did not mean the fact that Klaus made for great after lunch eye candy, either. It was comforting to know he was here if the hunter showed or if the Council decided to defy his threats and enacted some form of retaliation here at the school. Elena might hate Klaus, but she was safe with him here. _

_There was still no text response from Stefan, so she texted him once more. His absence coupled with Elena's dishevelled appearance and odd prom ticket request worried her. _

"I'm going to pick up where I left off yesterday afternoon. I want to wrap up my lecture on the long-term causes of the First World War," Klaus decided as he moved across the front of the room casually.

_She noticed Jennifer Hastings and her girlfriends were still exchanging whispers and smirks. Obviously she should have taken the compulsion a step further, she thought. _

"Would anyone like to tell me what the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente were and explain their broader significance in relation to the war?" he reviewed, eyeing the class.

_Nobody seemed enthused at first to answer, although she noticed Jennifer pathetically flipping through the pages of her textbook in search of the answer. _

_Before he even spoke again, she had a feeling he would pick on her. _

"Miss. Forbes, care to earn those participation marks?" he asked as he started for her row.

_Her cheeks grew red. She hated being called on even when the teacher was a normal teacher. Having it be Klaus made her feel even more flustered. _

"I don't know the answer," she admitted.

"Surely you do; there was a whole section devoted to this in the textbook reading I assigned," he reminded her.

_So apparently he expected her to finish her homework last night somewhere in between stalking the hunter and fighting with him. _

"I didn't do the readings," she said defiantly as he reached her desk.

_Outwardly he appeared displeased as his eyes bore down into hers, but she could still see a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. _

"Oh? Something better to do?" he inquired, looking around at the rest of the class who were also waiting expectantly for her answer.

_She shrugged with a sigh. _

"My boyfriend was being kind of an ass...uh, jerk," she corrected, smiling up at him.

_Rebekah snorted aloud and she even noticed Elena had a semi-amused expression on her face. _

_Klaus spun around on his heel in Rebekah's direction. _

"Rebekah, since you're so knowledgeable, how about you give it a shot?" he challenged, completely ignoring Jennifer's eager hand.

"The Triple Alliance was an accord between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, solidified at the end of the nineteenth century whereby the three countries agreed to support one another in the event of an attack from another country. The Triple Entente was an alliance between Britain, France, and Russia solidified in the early twentieth century that functioned similarly to the Triple Alliance. These alliances would come into play when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia," Rebekah described smugly.

"Good, Rebekah," Klaus offered with almost a bored tone as he started back for the front of the classroom.

_Her unfortunate luck would dictate at this moment that her cell phone's ringtone would go off. _

_Klaus stopped dead in his tracks. _

_She looked down at the phone in her lap quickly to notice it was a message from Stefan. He didn't feel like talking about whatever was going on right now. He said he would talk to her later. _

_When she looked up, Klaus was glaring at her. _

"Is that your scorned boyfriend, Miss. Forbes?" Klaus wondered, prompting a few laughs from the class.

_She shook her head. _

"Turn it off and put it away. If I see or hear it again, I'll confiscate it," Klaus instructed sternly.

_His demanding tone sent shivers down her spine – the good kind – and while she knew a part of him was serious, she knew there was another part of him thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to boss her around and humiliate her in front of the class. _

_When he turned back for the lectern, she quickly sent a text to his phone under her desk, hoping her plan would work. _

_A wide smile crossed her face when Klaus's phone began to vibrate and sound from the pocket of his pants. _

_The entire class erupted into an anxious laughter as Klaus fished the phone from his pocket. _

"I suppose I should heed my own advice," he said, silencing the phone as he briefly read the message she had sent.

_The message contained specific instructions; instructions to look in the top right drawer of his desk. _

"So getting back on topic," he continued, "I want to wrap up the discussion on the lead up to the war, and then perhaps we'll get into the first small assignment towards the end," he explained, never once making eye contact with her as he did what her message requested and moved towards his desk. "Yesterday I detailed the militaristic build up at the turn of the twentieth century, and the as well as the complicated alliances formed leading up to the conflict. Today, in relation to that, I want to discuss nationalism and imperialism. Then on Monday we'll move onto the immediate causes," he continued as he slid open the drawer cautiously.

_He tried to conceal it, but she couldn't mistake the intrigued expression that crossed his features as he spotted what she had left for him there. _

"So let's get started," he said, his eyes discreetly catching hers as he shut the drawer and returned to the lectern.

_Klaus continued with the subject and she tried to listen intently as she made every effort to ignore the occasional glares from Elena, the fleeting sexy smirks from Klaus, and the worry she had for Stefan. _

_Half-way through the class, Klaus was finished his lecture. _

_She waited curiously to see what he had planned next. _

"Now I'm going to assign you into groups. Each group will be given one of these long-term causes I've outlined, and I want you to summarize the cause and its importance into a few points. Each group will present the summarized points to the rest of the class. I recommend taking notes, as these will be useful for the purposes of studying," Klaus announced.

_Of course, Klaus purposely assigned her to a group comprised of Elena, Rebekah, Jennifer, and Chris – a nerdy recluse whom she had barely spoken a word to since they both began at Mystic Falls High. _

_She moved reluctantly towards Elena and Rebekah, while observing Klaus from the corner of her eye, who was now relaxing at his desk with a book in hand. _

_He had assigned their group the issue of alliances, which was great, she thought, since Rebekah had seemed to know so much. _

_Their group came together around Elena and Rebekah's desks as the other groups broke off into their respective places. _

_Elena and Chris were silent, while Jennifer was a little too enthusiastic about the assignment, quickly listing the points they should make. _

_Rebekah turned to Jennifer and quickly compelled her to write her ideas down, effectively overriding what Jennifer had to contribute. She couldn't help but laugh at Rebekah's manipulation while it earned a scoff from Elena. Chris remained clueless, and seemed more interested in doodling in his notebook. _

_When her phone began to vibrate quietly, she concealed the phone in her hands and regarded the screen carefully. _

_It was a message from Klaus. _

"_One less item of clothing I'll have to remove from your body later," it read. _

_Her cheeks flushed with excitement as she looked over at Klaus, who, sure enough, was staring back at her. _

"_Who says there will be a later?" she replied, playing coy. _

"_I do," he responded quickly. __"And so does the unrelenting scent of your arousal," he followed up. _

_She blushed as she felt a dull ache at her core. Ignoring his message and clenching her legs together, she put her phone down and looked up at Elena and Rebekah who were eyeing her suspiciously. _

"I think we're done," Rebekah declared as she looked over what she had compelled Jennifer to write down. "What do you think, Elena?" she asked, handing Elena the piece of paper.

_Elena pushed the paper away defiantly and crossed her arms. _

"I think this whole thing is ridiculous," she remarked bitterly, obviously referring not only to their group, but to Klaus as history teacher. "Did you all come up with this plan to torture me?" Elena spat.

_She frowned regrettably, although she felt more anger than remorse. _

"Thought it would be fun to rub it all in a little more?" Elena asked, while Chris was completely tuned out of their conversation and Jennifer was busy focusing on the paper Rebekah set back in front of her.

"Yes, actually," Rebekah shot back to Elena.

_She glared at Rebekah, upset by her eager desire to give Elena what she wanted to hear. _

_Admittedly, Elena's attitude was beginning to wear on her. She could only take so much of her accusatory tone and refusal to understand. _

"Elena, not everything is about you," she muttered.

_Elena's eyes widened, shocked by her sour tone. _

"Klaus isn't here because we all conspired to torment you. Why would I do something like that when all I've been trying to do since the Miss Mystic thing was earn your forgiveness?" she wondered.

_Rebekah scoffed. _

"Caroline, you have nothing to earn forgiveness for," Rebekah lamented.

_She ignored Rebekah's attempt to interject._

"Klaus is here to look out for me...and by extension all of my friends. This hunter is serious. He's trained; he knows what he's doing. If he were to come to the school right now he could easily kill any one of us...you, me, Stefan," she said, noticing how Elena winced slightly with the mention of her absent supposed boyfriend. "There are Council members as staff here too...they could turn their backs on Klaus's threat at any time if they really wanted to," she pointed out. "That's why Klaus is here," she finished.

_She frowned when she realized Elena didn't appear to be buying it. _

"Since you lot are all so chatty, perhaps you would like to present yours to the class first?" Klaus's voice suggested, tearing through the tense conversation.

_Elena shrugged with an eye roll, and Rebekah tore the paper from Jennifer, selecting herself to be the one to speak to the class. _

_She almost wanted to thank Klaus for breaking up what surely would have become an intense blow up between her and Elena. _

_Once Rebekah was finished outlining their summary, Klaus moved onto another group nonchalantly. _

_When the last group was finished, she scurried back to her own desk, antsy to remove herself from the awkwardness that was her current relationship with Elena. _

"Before I dismiss the class, by next Friday I would like a short essay from each of you that discusses which long-term cause of the war you believe to be most significant. While I realize each of them set in motion the events we know as the First World War, I would like to you single out which one you believe to be the most important and why. The essay should be a few pages, typed, double spaced. I want to see a clear thesis, concise arguments, and the incorporation of outside sources; footnotes and a bibliography are a must. See you on Monday," Klaus finished.

_There was a unanimous groan from the class as everyone gathered up their things to leave. _

_As the door opened, she noticed Bonnie standing in the doorway, likely waiting for Elena. _

_She followed a bit behind Elena, ignoring Klaus who has been bombarded by a few students probably there to ask him panicked questions about the assignment. _

_To her surprise, as she reached the doorway, Elena completely blew Bonnie off, declaring that she was heading home. _

_Bonnie was left standing there shocked and dismayed. _

"That was probably my fault," she apologized, as she stood to the side of the classroom door so other students could file out.

_Bonnie peered into the classroom before looking at her. _

"Mr. Mikaelson, a.k.a. Klaus wouldn't have had anything to do with it?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

_Rebekah exited the class, exchanging a knowing glance with her before she returned her attention towards Bonnie. _

"Probably; Elena wasn't too keen on my explanation," she revealed.

"Why is he here?" Bonnie asked.

_She sighed. _

"Well Elena thinks he's here to make her life a living hell, but he's really here just looking out for me and everyone else as a result. This hunter is no joke, Bonnie. Klaus doesn't want to take any chances," she reasoned.

_Bonnie seemed more receptive to her explanation than Elena had. _

"I think something's going on with Elena and Stefan. Stefan was a no-show today, and at lunch Elena left her second prom ticket blank," she informed Bonnie. "Maybe you should go check in on her later? She may be more receptive to talking to you."

_Bonnie shrugged apprehensively. _

"I should get to my next class," Bonnie said as she looked down the hall. "Listen, the professor I met yesterday has been helping me with my magic, so if you need any help with the hunter let me know," she offered.

"Thanks, Bonnie," she replied with a smile.

_As Bonnie disappeared down the hall, she heard his throat clear from inside the classroom. _

"Miss. Forbes, can I have a word?" his voice demanded, making her tingle.

_She turned into the doorway; finding the classroom now empty, save for Klaus who was sitting casually behind his desk. _

_Stepping back into the room, she went to shut the door, but he halted her. _

"Don't close the door, it's against school policy," he chided with a grin.

"I really have somewhere to be," she said, noting his devilish stare.

"Oh?" he asked curiously, as he opened the same drawer he had earlier.

"My boyfriend's birthday is tomorrow. I need to go shopping," she informed him.

_He eyed her curiously as he removed the red material from the drawer. _

_She glared at him and looked back to the now empty hall self-consciously, worried that someone might see. _

"This is the...ass...jerk?" he chuckled. "He doesn't sound deserving of a gift," he observed, as he toyed with her undergarment.

"We made up," she stated.

_He arched an eyebrow. _

"Not quite," he commented suggestively.

_She bit her lip and fought hard to stop her legs from buckling. _

_All she wanted to do now was climb into his lap and kiss those perfect lips of his, but she refrained. _

"I believe this belongs to you," he said with a devious tone, tossing her the pair of underwear.

_Her reflexes responded and she caught it. _

_His attention then dropped to a few papers on his desk, and she stood there almost bewildered searching for something to say. _

_Should she break this little game they were playing? _

_Deciding to remain quiet, she turned diffidently for the exit. _

"Miss. Forbes?" he called after her.

_She looked back over her shoulder. _

"Keep them off," he instructed.

_Clenching her hands around the material, she knew exactly what he was referring to. _

_Without a response, she tucked the garment in her bag and she left the room, this time shutting the door behind her. _

_Once on the other side she took a moment to breathe and settle her light-headedness. She could practically feel the heat burning between her thighs._

* * *

_The rest of her free period she spent running errands, which included picking up what she decided to get Klaus for his birthday present. She also returned home to speak with her mom before she left again for work, detailing some of the events of last night and urging her mother to see that it was better if she stayed with Klaus while the hunter was still out there. To her surprise, her mother was easily convinced, and she packed some of her clothes before returning to school for her final class. Her mother had said nothing of Dean, or his kidney, and she didn't ask. _

_When school was done for the day, she rushed to her car anxious to return to Klaus's where she hoped he would soon be as well. _

_However, her excitement fell when she met Rebekah leaning against her passenger door in the parking lot. _

"Took you long enough," Rebekah groaned.

"What are you doing here? I thought you and Matt..." she started, only entertaining the possibility as she spoke that perhaps a talk between Rebekah and Matt didn't go as Rebekah had hoped.

"That's not until later. He has a shift right after school. In the meantime, I told Adrian, my dressmaker to meet us back at the house. He's eager to take your measurements and show you some fabrics and designs," Rebekah said.

_She groaned inwardly. Meeting with Rebekah's dressmaker was the last thing on her mind at the moment. _

_Despite that, she went along with Rebekah's plan anyways. Prom was close and they didn't have much time left. Moreover, Rebekah was set upon this idea. _

_When they arrived back at the Mikaelson home, she and Rebekah found Adrian in the sitting room off of Klaus's study measuring Elijah. _

"Don't you have enough tailored suits?" Rebekah remarked.

_Elijah chuckled. _

"What did you say a few minutes ago Adrian?" Elijah asked.

_Adrian, a short middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair appeared from behind Elijah with some measuring tape. _

"A man can never have enough good suits," he said with a hint of an Italian accent.

_Elijah sighed in satisfaction. _

"It used to be that if you dressed well you were a gentleman. Now you're gay or metro sexual," Elijah said disdainfully.

"Yes modern man is rather daft," Rebekah agreed as she pulled her into the room.

"Adrian, this is Caroline. Caroline, this is Adrian del Sarto. His grandfather and grandmother made custom suits and dresses for us in the nineteen-twenties," Rebekah informed her.

_Adrian greeted her with a friendly handshake and a chaste kiss on the cheek. _

"So you are Niklaus's muse Rebekah has told me of," he concluded.

_She nodded modestly, unsure if 'muse' was the right word. _

"And you're in need of a dress for prom?" he inquired.

_She nodded again. _

_He clapped his hands together enthusiastically. _

"Then Rebekah has done you a great favour by introducing us. I will make you the perfect dress," he assured her.

_She smiled as his reassurance brought relief and his excitement rubbed off on her. _

"I'm sure you will Adrian, just not as perfect as mine, okay?" Rebekah said both jokingly and honestly.

_Both Elijah and Adrian chuckled, while she rolled her eyes at Rebekah's comment. _

"I'll be in Niklaus's study making some arrangements for tomorrow," Elijah informed them. "Call me when my suit is ready for a fitting Adrian," Elijah added before disappearing into the adjacent room.

_Adrian pulled out a rather large black portfolio folder from his bag, and opened it on the coffee table, spreading out each design he had drawn, along with a sample of colours and material. _

_She gasped at his talent and attention to detail as she looked over the drawings. _

"These are beautiful," she said as Rebekah nudged her out of the way to examine them.

_There were a variety dress styles; some with sleeves, some without; shorter skirts and lengthier ones; full gowns and closer fits. The creativity and thought put into the designs was astounding and almost seemed a little overboard. She could only imagine the demands Rebekah had made with her dress. _

"This one is definitely not a contender," Rebekah scowled, "it looks too much like mine."

_She cast that sketch to the side. _

_While Rebekah's haughty demeanor was unwelcome, she had barely examined the sketches long enough to develop a preference yet anyways. _

_The colour suggestions were comprised of the variety she had mentioned to Rebekah. Light blues, yellows, pinks, greens, and purples were all displayed, along with ivories, creams, and greys._

"Does anything catch your eye?" Adrian asked as he stood over the table anxiously.

_She nodded. _

"I like everything," she exclaimed. "The options are overwhelming," she admitted as she ran her hands over the textiles. "You really didn't have to do all this."

_Adrian smiled as he pulled out a cloth tape measure. _

"Rebekah insisted," Adrian pointed out.

_She looked over at Rebekah who seemed to be revelling in the fact that she had suggested this. _

_As she mulled over each dress design the expense of such an effort crossed her mind. Rebekah had said she would compel him to make her a dress, but she didn't feel right about that. Nor did she feel right about Klaus paying for it either. There was no way that she could afford this on her own though. _

"Maybe this isn't a good idea," she hesitated. "I don't want to be a burden."

_Rebekah shook her head. _

"The only other dress Adrian is working on right now is mine. its fine," Rebekah urged.

"But this is expensive," she protested.

_Rebekah rolled her eyes. _

"I told you, I'd handle that," Rebekah said.

_She sighed in exasperation while her eyes studied over the dress ideas some more. _

"Why don't we take some measurements while you think things over?" Adrian suggested.

_Deciding that to be preferable, she nodded and stood up from the sofa. _

_She was a little hesitant when Adrian began taking measurements, given the cheerleading skirt and the secret she was hiding for Klaus underneath, but none of the measurements required him to kneel in any position that might have been unflattering for her. He wanted to do a hollow-to-hem measurement which would have required him to measure down to her feet, but because she had no idea what shoes she would be wearing yet, any measurement taken like that would be inaccurate, so her prom procrastination had saved her from a potentially embarrassing situation. _

"I like this one," Rebekah said, holding up the sketch so she could see. "I'm not a fan of the short ones."

_Their attention was taken away from the drawing when the front door opened and shut loudly. _

"Nik is home," Rebekah stated.

* * *

_He hadn't even bothered pulling his SUV into the garage, eager to get inside when he noticed Caroline's car in the drive. He half expected her to be here, having driven past her house on his way home to find no one there. Truthfully though there was a part of him that jumped to the worst case scenario immediately. _

_With his worries quelled by relief, he gathered up his school work from the backseat and started for the house, disregarding as an afterthought the silver sports car parked in front of Caroline's car. _

_After all the unremitting flirtation they had put each other through today, all he wanted her skin against his. She wasn't lying when she said she wasn't going to make his teacher role easy. The cheerleading uniform was one thing, but the underwear was just cruel. As much as he wanted to give into her teasing earlier, he held back. He was well aware of the game she was playing. _

_But all games were off when that final bell rang. He had been determined to leave immediately to have his way with her, but that incessant Mrs. Jones stopped him in the hall to remind him of a last minute staff meeting. He was tempted to kill the woman on the spot, but the presence of other staff and students stopped him. _

_So he went to the meeting and listened as Mrs. Jones rambled on about new student disciplinary guidelines, the exam schedule for the end of term, and grade submission procedures and deadlines. _

_Really, the meeting had only lasted a half-hour, but that was a half-hour too long. _

_He stormed out of the school, not surprised to find Caroline's car already gone. _

_Stepping inside the house, he listened carefully, disappointed when he placed Caroline with Rebekah in the sitting room rather than alone in his bedroom waiting for him. There was another voice. An accented voice he concluded belonged to Adrian del Sarto, the tailor and dressmaker. _

_He headed in that direction as it was on the way to his study anyways. _

_To his surprise and annoyance he found Adrian draping a tape measure around Caroline's chest, while Rebekah was nitpicking through a few swatches of material. _

"Klaus, it is lovely to see you," Adrian spoke obediently, stepping away from Caroline.

_While he had a sneaking suspicion Adrian was gay, he had been previously married to a woman, and his hands on Caroline – if even for an apparent measurement – unnerved him. _

"I'm not sure if the feeling is mutual," he said, garnering a scoff from Rebekah.

_Caroline was eyeing him anxiously. _

"Nik, Adrian is here to measure Caroline for a prom dress," Rebekah explained.

_He relaxed a little, although still frustrated by the fact that Caroline was otherwise occupied at the moment. _

"Isn't it a little late for that?" he wondered, looking to Caroline for an answer.

_Rebekah shook her head, deciding to answer for her. _

"No, Adrian has a pretty open schedule at the moment," she said.

_He knew exactly what that meant. She had compelled him to put all other jobs on hold or abandon them altogether for the time being. _

"...and...I told him you would pay him a bit extra," Rebekah said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

_That was the biggest catch. While he often paid for things to keep the suspicion off of himself – he could afford it – the notion of paying for a prom dress was ridiculous. _

"How generous of you, sister," he said through gritted teeth.

"Well I thought you'd want Caroline to have the best dress – aside from mine," Rebekah replied.

_Rebekah gave him a snide smile as he noted how uncomfortable Caroline had become upon sensing his displeasure._

"You don't have to do this," Caroline offered.

_While there were better things he could spend his money on, he knew he would relent; not only because Rebekah had already jumped the gun and made a commitment, but because he could tell this was something Caroline wanted. His old self was scolding him for letting someone else's wants become his own, but it was hard to resist the blonde, blue-eyed vampire in a cheerleading uniform standing hopefully across from him. _

"Which one have you selected?" he asked with a sigh, looking down at the sketches.

_He was barely interested in prom, let alone a dress, but he found himself curious. _

"I haven't," Caroline responded.

"Perhaps you could give your aesthetic opinion?" Adrian suggested to him.

_He briefly scanned over the options. He wanted to joke about which one would be the cheapest, but he knew that would only garner an unfavourable response all around. _

_Going with the first one that caught his eye, he pointed to a strapless floor length gown. _

"That one," he said simply.

"I didn't pick that one," Rebekah sighed.

_Caroline, however, seemed considerate. _

"I'll be in my study. See me when you're finished," he said, with particular attention on Caroline.

_Sooner, rather than later, he thought to himself. _

_She nodded with a small smile. _

_When he entered his study from the open doors off the sitting room, he groaned as he spotted Elijah at his desk in the middle of a phone call._

_Elijah promptly finished the conversation upon noting his arrival. _

"I suppose I should have built a house twice the size if I wanted any space to myself," he complained, setting his books and bags down on the desk in front of Elijah.

_Elijah stood and buttoned the coat of his jacket. _

"Well I was seeing Adrian about procuring myself another suit, but, as I'm sure you saw, Rebekah and Caroline took over," he chuckled, heading over table of liquor he had on hand.

_He nodded with a glare as he took Elijah's place at the desk. _

"You seem a bit frazzled brother. Would you care for a drink?" Elijah offered.

"Rye," he said, motioning with his hand.

_Elijah selected two glasses and the appropriate decanter. _

"Rough day at work?" Elijah asked with a smirk as he handed him a glass.

_He peered at Elijah over the rim of the glass with an unimpressed stare. _

"Not at all, brother," he mused, propping his feet up on the desk. "Teaching is a breeze. The modern curriculum is laughable. The students, however, are another matter," he explained, nodding his head back towards the other room.

_Elijah laughed as he took a seat on the edge of the desk. _

"Just be grateful that Kol didn't decide to enrol," Elijah pointed out.

_He exhaled sharply in relief. _

"Where is our younger brother anyways?" he inquired, not wanting any unexpected surprises later.

_Elijah shrugged. _

"I haven't made a point of keeping my eye on him, but I surmise he's otherwise occupied with his souvenirs from Las Vegas," he suspected.

_He pointed his finger at Elijah. _

"Mark my words Elijah, if he does anything further to make Caroline uncomfortable, there's a dagger waiting with his name on it," he grumbled before taking another sip of his drink.

_Elijah chuckled as he set his own glass down. _

"You know, I think Caroline handles Kol quite well. She seems to put him in his place better than any of us," Elijah observed.

"Regardless," he huffed with a shrug of defiance.

_Both of them drank in silence for a few moments, the sounds Rebekah and Caroline's giddy excitement filtering through the air. _

"Rebekah and Caroline seem to be getting on rather well as of late," Elijah commented.

"That tends to happen when you have a mutual goal. I expect they'll be back to bickering when prom is over," he concluded.

_Elijah smirked. _

"Perhaps you're right, but maybe not," Elijah responded. "Rebekah's always lacked female companionship; something Caroline doesn't have an abundance of either at the moment."

"Your point, brother?" he groaned into his glass.

"They sound happy," Elijah shrugged.

_He chuckled sarcastically. _

"Who wouldn't be happy having fun on someone else's dime?" he remarked.

"Surely you're not really upset about paying for Caroline's dress? It won't even put a dent in your accounts, Niklaus," Elijah said.

_He shook his head. _

"No, I'm not upset about that. It's our sister using _my_ accounts as they were her own personal piggy bank," he complained. "She's constantly reminding me of her own personal wealth, so why doesn't she put her money where her mouth is?" he wondered.

"As far as I know, Rebekah already purchased her dress. This is for Caroline. You know Caroline would never come to you for such a thing. She's far too polite," Elijah noted.

_He conceded Elijah's point, knowing that if Rebekah hadn't offered, Caroline never would have asked him and would have resigned herself to an average dress that she could pay for herself; compulsion for trivial desires was beneath her. _

_As silence broke up their conversation he had to admit that Elijah was also right on another point. It was nice to hear Caroline laugh. They had been through a lot in the past while. She had made a lot of sacrifices; namely her friends. Her laughter was reassuring. _

"The hunter is definitely part of the Five," he spoke. "The stakes that hit me last night had their symbol carved into them," he explained. "Caroline knows."

_Elijah gave him a surprised look. _

"You told her? Everything?" Elijah asked, obviously referring to the prospect of a cure.

"Everything," he nodded.

"How did she react?" Elijah wondered curiously.

"She recognizes the importance of obtaining the cure before anyone else. She's still not keen on my continued desire for hybrids, but she wasn't opposed to it either in lieu of the Five," he informed Elijah.

_His brother nodded pensively. _

"Did she happen to share her opinion on the cure?" Elijah questioned carefully.

_He eyed Elijah definitively. _

"She doesn't want it for herself," he revealed.

_Elijah's eyes widened. _

"That astonishes you? Has she given you reason to believe otherwise?" he asked Elijah self-consciously.

_Elijah shook his head. _

"No, it's just a big decision. She cares for you a great deal. She sees you as her future. I'm not surprised," Elijah reassured him. "You must be pleased," he added.

_Before he could respond, Elijah's phone began to sound. _

"Excuse me," Elijah said, pulling his phone out from inside his coat pocket.

_Sliding off the desk, he answered the phone, exiting the room as he did so. _

_He leaned against the back of the desk chair and savoured the last remaining drops of his drink. _

_Truth be told, he was pleased. Perhaps more pleased than he could care to admit to anyone – even Elijah._

* * *

_He spent perhaps close to another hour preparing lectures for next week's classes before he finally sensed her in the doorway off of the sitting room._

_When he heard the lock to the solid wood pocket doors click, he turned his head slightly to conceal a smirk. _

_She was what he wanted literally all day from the moment he woke up this morning to her sleeping soundly pressed up against him, and yet, he found himself playing hard to get. The anticipation was sometimes just as sweet as the actual moment. He wanted her to work for it. _

_He busied himself for a few seconds on the computer, before returning to his notebook. _

"If you're busy, I can come back," she offered unsurely as she stepped across the wood floor.

_The idea of telling her he was indeed busy crossed his mind in hopes she might refuse to leave, but he knew she would take him too seriously. _

"This is merely a distraction, love. I'll be done in a minute. Grab a drink if you'd like," he suggested.

_She snickered as she approached the desk and retrieved his glass. _

"Offering underage students liquor now?" she said in a chastising tone.

_He looked over his book briefly once she had her back to him at the table of spirits. His eyes noted the odd way she stood partially on her toes before they dared to travel higher up her bare ivory legs. The short cheerleading skirt did not leave much to the imagination. Then again, he didn't need his imagination to know what was underneath the small amount of material waiting for him. Wandering up higher, he noted the dimples in her lower back, exposed by the separated hems of her skirt and top. _

"I only said drink," he reminded her coyly.

_As he ran his tongue over his lips, she turned around with two drinks in hand. He closed his mouth promptly. _

"I'm parched," he explained, receiving the drink from her extended hand. "Thanks."

_Their eyes met briefly before he turned back to his notepad with his glass pressed firmly to his lips. _

_He was pleased to meet the taste of rye with his tongue. She had obviously been perfecting her vampire ability to acutely discern specific smells. _

_Taste, however, was still another story, as he heard her wince slightly as she sipped the straight liquor. _

_He wanted to taste her, he thought to himself as he tried to ignore her and focus on his work. _

_It was no use, she was leaning against his desk and he could see her bare legs from his peripheral vision. He could feel her looking over his shoulder. _

"What are you working on?" she finally asked.

"Next week's lectures," he responded casually, closing the notebook once he was satisfied with the outlines he had prepared.

_He wheeled his leather chair closer to the desk so he could attend to the open items on his computer. _

"Adrian left," she explained as he heard her stand up from the desk and circle behind his chair.

"Did you pick a dress?" he inquired absently as he scrolled through a few programs.

_Her fingertips brushed against his back and he felt her lean in closer to him. _

"I did," she answered. "I think you'll like it," she added, her voice quieter this time.

_He couldn't resist a scoff and a snide remark. _

"I should hope so. If I know Adrian at all, I'll be paying handsomely for it," he replied.

_She sighed. _

"I told you, you didn't..." –

- "I'm joking," he assured her. "Just make sure Adrian sees to it that it is easily removable," he mused.

_She giggled under her breath as she set her glass down beside his on the desk. _

"Thank you," she murmured while both her hands slid over his shoulders.

_He exhaled slowly while trying harder to focus on the screen in front of him. _

"Rebekah's upstairs getting ready for her date with Matt," Caroline pointed out.

"A date?" he wondered.

"Well it's more of a reassessment, or evaluation," she said anxiously as her hands dug into his shoulders in the most relaxing of ways.

"Oh..." he replied with a small smile, a little too enthusiastically and less inquisitively while one of her hands snaked its way through his hair.

"Elijah left to run some errands for your birthday tomorrow," she continued, as he felt her lips inch their way closer to the flesh of his neck.

"...and I think Kol went with him," she finished.

_His eyes fell closed as he anticipated the feeling of her warm lips just under his ear. _

"Hey," she snapped, immediately ceasing her role as his temptress.

_He groaned inwardly as all her ministrations stopped. _

"Is that an online grade book?" she asked curiously, obviously eyeing the contents on his computer screen.

"Yes," he replied, hoping she sensed the annoyed undertone in his voice.

_She inhaled with intent curiosity as she shimmied her way in between him and the desk. _

"I wanna see," she mused.

_He was ready to protest until he fully took in the sight of her partially bent over in front of him as she examined the program on the computer. _

"Are these grades from earlier in the term; from Alaric and the other supplies?" she inquired interestedly.

_Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat. _

"They are," he answered, as he pushed his chair a little closer to her.

_She scoffed._

"There is no way Jennifer Hastings deserves straight As," she complained. "Her enthusiasm for history class only started...y-esterday," she hissed, faltering on the last word slightly as he touched the outside of her thigh.

_He waited for her to stop him, but as she continued her concentration on the screen, he took that as her tacit approval. _

"You almost sound jealous, Miss Forbes," he pointed out as he placed his free hand on her other leg.

_The muscles in both her legs tensed at his touch. _

"I am not," she protested shakily as both his hands ascended to the hem of her skirt.

_As he pushed the skirt a little higher with the backs of his hands, he was very pleased to spot evidence of her desire glistening on the insides of her thighs. _

"I think you are," he teased as he began to lift the skimpy covering over her perfectly shaped behind.

"I am n..." –

- "You really have nothing to be jealous of sweetheart," he assured her.

_Her breathing hitched as he fully exposed her bare backside and cupped the flesh of her ass in his hands. _

_She had followed his instructions perfectly, he mused, noting the rosy flesh of her dripping centre peeking out from between her folds. _

_He had barely uttered a dirty word or offered her his touch and already she was soaked for him. _

_His body was no different. He had been hard for her since she stepped into the room. _

_As he kissed the back of her thigh, he circled around her sex teasingly with his index finger. _

"She could never keep up with me, or sate me the way you can," he told her, now standing up behind her.

_He ran his free hand over her hip and along her side until he reached the bare skin of her back, exposed by the halter top of her uniform. _

"What would you do if I changed my grades?" she asked playfully as her body shuddered against his tormenting touch.

"I'd be forced to punish you," he mused against her ear as he watched her highlight her name and information on the screen, changing out some of her less than flattering grades.

"How?" she challenged breathily as she arched her back seductively.

_He brought the flat of palm down hard against her backside, triggering a loud crack, and she cried out from what could only be described as the ideal mix of torture and ecstasy. _

_Hitting her anywhere else was never something he would consider, but he prided himself in his ability to respond to her body language. He sensed she wanted to be spanked, so he gave her what she wanted. _

_He lightly traced his fingertips over the redness from the hit, soothing any pain with the tingling sensation his touch brought. _

_She whimpered gratefully as he kissed her back. _

"Would you punish Jennifer?" she asked with a little vinegar in her voice.

_He smirked. _

"No...I'd kill her," he mused, before nipping at her ear lobe and tugging at her silky blonde hair.

_She slammed the lid of the computer shut and braced herself against the desk with both palms. _

_He lowered his hand between her legs and skimmed her slit tauntingly. His other hand travelled over her stomach and inside her top. _

"So Miss. Forbes," he started, cupping her breast, "Would you like to earn those participation grades now?" he teased before leaning over to kiss her neck.

_Dipping two fingers into her pool of arousal, she moaned most eagerly. _

"Hmm?" he pushed, as he circled his moist fingers around her swollen bud while his other hand pinched both her nipples.

"I thought you said no quid pro quo?" she huffed.

_He thrust two fingers inside of her tight hole. _

_She gasped as her hips bucked against his hand. _

"Think of this as extra credit," he proposed.

_Moaning incoherently at his words, she stood up a little straighter and removed her shirt, freeing her breasts from the confining material. _

_When her hands reached behind her and latched onto his belt, he backed up. _

"Klaus," she complained as she rubbed herself frantically against his hand. "Please," she begged.

"Please what?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her shoulder.

_She craned her neck in time and kissed his lips hard. _

_The kiss made him dizzy as she took his breath away. _

"Fuck me," she whispered against his lips. "I need you to fuck me," she repeated.

_Her words nearly caused his premature finish, but he bit his lip as a distraction. _

"Bend over, sweetheart," he instructed tenderly, although he knew he was about to be anything but delicate with her; not after today.

_She obliged him eagerly, positioning herself over the desk, propping herself up on her forearms. _

"Good girl," he said encouragingly as he unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants, freeing his aching erection.

_As he stroked himself behind her and steadied her hips, he struggled to conjure up an image more alluring than this. He couldn't. _

_She was poised for submission and he paused to admire her narrow waist, wide hips, and the pronounced arch of her back. She was perfection incarnate and only he had the privilege of indulging in her. _

_He spread her quivering thighs, positioning himself at her entrance before filling her with one deep thrust._

_She recoiled and hissed at his initial intrusion, and he clenched her hips to prevent himself from slamming back into her a second time so soon. _

_Easing out of her slowly, he entered her again a little faster. _

_Her warm centre took him in readily and he groaned loudly at the feel of her walls hugging him so tightly. _

"Mmm, yes," she panted. "Take me harder," she urged through muffled whimpers and sighs.

_He gasped at her licentious request and sped up his movements accordingly. _

_With one hand firmly planted against her hip, he used the other to massage her breasts, and then her sensitive clit. _

"God, you feel incredible," he murmured as he tried, with rapidly failing effectiveness, to not lose himself in the sparks jolting through his body.

_Unable to hold herself up any longer, her arms buckled beneath her. _

_She grabbed hold of the edge of the desk as her torso lay flush against its surface. _

_He brushed her hair away from her face as he continued his pace behind her. _

_Her eyes were clenched shut and her mouth was parted as she panted frantically for air. _

_He himself was struggling to breathe as sweat spread across his forehead and his entire body began to tremble. _

_She was completely tense beneath him and he knew her climax was not far off. _

_He thrust harder against her, his body slapping against her backside as her verbal sounds of appreciation grew. _

"Let go, sweetheart," he urged, for both their sakes as his yearning for his own release intensified.

_He watched as her fingernails dug desperately into the desk, and while he would have scolded anyone else for marking such an antique, he knew he would come to appreciate the reminder of this moment later. _

_Her fervent scream of bliss startled him as her body shook and the force of her orgasm consumed him. _

_He moaned through gritted teeth, as the feeling of her body's natural spasms milking him provoked his own euphoric release. _

_Resting his head against her back, he could hear nothing save for his own animalistic breathing and the lingering murmurs of her pleasure. _

"Oh my god," she sighed contentedly as he trailed his lips and hands over her back.

_Standing, he moved back and pulled up his pants that been resting at his ankles. He had never even bothered to step out of them. _

_Caroline rose from the desk, and pulled her skirt back down that had been bunched at her waist. _

_How was it that this inexperienced baby vampire had become the most exquisite lover he had ever had, he wondered as she turned around to meet his stare. _

"That deserves an 'A' for amazing," she hummed jokingly, sitting on the edge of his desk.

_He smirked as she pulled him closer. _

_Resting in between her legs, he revelled in the feeling of her lips against his neck and the berry scent of her perfume. _

"It was all you, love," he mused.

_She pulled back and held up his fake glasses. _

"Can you wear these next time?" she asked.

_He laughed as he eyed her quizzically. _

"I guess I have a thing for nerds," she quipped.

"Apparently I have a thing for cheerleaders," he replied.

_She blushed. _

_He kissed her. _

"And as sexy as you looked in this shirt today," she complimented as she started to undo the buttons, "I think I want to borrow it," she concluded mirthfully.

_He feigned protest as she pulled the shirt down his arms and slipped into it herself. _

_Just as he contemplated the idea of ravishing her a second time with another kiss of her lips, the doorbell rang. _

_They both sighed in unison. _

"Let Rebekah answer it," Caroline groaned. "It's probably Matt."

_They both listened for a moment before the bell rang again. _

"She won't answer it," he complained. "I'll see who it is," he decided, heading for the doors.

_He urged her to stay behind, given her state of dress, but she still followed him, waiting in the hall interestedly as he entered the foyer for the front doors. _

_Sensing a vampire on the other side of the doors, he was surprised by who he saw when he opened them. _

"Stefan," he greeted curiously.

* * *

**A/N: So I know after what you just read your minds are probably in the gutter, but no, there's not going to be a Klefaroline threesome, even though this would probably be the perfect moment for it. As much as I do enjoy that triad? It's just not meant to happen in this story, lol. Maybe a deleted blooper scene? Heh. **

**I know it was a long update, but before you all rush off to take your cold showers, do you think you could review me maybe? Thanks. Next stop is 700 reviews! :D **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Over 700 reviews with the last chapter! You reviewers keep surprising me. I appreciate you all and every wonderful comment you have to contribute. You have no idea how motivated you keep me (well this quick update might be an indication). **

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, and everyone who has just recently decided to give this fic a chance. **

**This chapter turned out way longer than I planned for, but I don't think I will hear any complaints. Please let me know your thoughts when you're done reading. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he mused, stepping aside to allow the younger vampire admittance to his home.

_Stefan scoffed under his breath and stepped inside cautiously. _

"I'm actually here to see...Caroline," Stefan replied, obviously having noticed her standing off the foyer.

_He smirked as Stefan connected the dots between his missing shirt and what little Caroline was presently wearing. _

"Hey," Caroline said.

_Stefan nodded awkwardly in her direction. _

"We weren't expecting guests. If we were, we would have dressed for the occasion," he joked, enjoying how uncomfortable this was for the younger Salvatore.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Stefan stammered. "I can come back," he offered, looking to Caroline for her reaction.

_He laughed and put his arm around Stefan's shoulders. _

"Not to worry, mate," he assured his one-time friend with a pat on the back. "We were just...finishing. Weren't we?" he smirked at an obviously embarrassed Caroline.

"Its fine," she nodded meekly.

"Come Stefan," he urged, guiding Stefan in Caroline's direction for the parlour. "Go get dressed, sweetheart. I'll keep Stefan entertained," he assured her mischievously as they passed her.

_He eyed Stefan curiously as they entered the parlour. _

_His first thoughts were less the less than honourable, jealous kind. What could Stefan Salvatore, his former best mate, want from his girl on a Friday evening? _

_He quelled those thoughts as he reminded himself of Stefan's infatuation with the Petrova doppelganger, and the platonic way in which Caroline had described her friendship with Stefan in a previous conversation they had; a friendship that was seemingly repairing itself in lieu of Caroline's so-called 'grand betrayal' of sleeping with the enemy. _

_As he tried to conjure up reasons for Stefan's visit in his mind, he couldn't help but notice how rough the poor boy was looking. Elena had looked surprisingly similar, he recalled. _

"Drink?" he asked, as Stefan helped himself to a seat. "Perhaps one friendlier to the vampire variety?" he suggested.

"Liquor is fine," Stefan replied.

_He went to the cabinet, finding only a bottle of brandy. _

"I missed you in class today," he pointed out jovially as he handed Stefan a glass.

_Stefan shrugged before sipping his drink. _

"I was dealing with some things," Stefan replied cryptically.

_He arched his eyebrows. _

"Oh really? You don't say?" he asked with sarcastic interest. "Things that you're here to discuss with Caroline?" he inquired.

_Stefan nodded. _

_He grinned. _

"Judging by Elena's sourer than usual expression around Caroline and me today, and your opposite appearances in class, I can only assume this has something to do with her," he concluded.

"It's really none of your business," Stefan replied, shrugging once more.

"On the contrary, Stefan, I'd say it's entirely my business seeing as how you're in my home. Forgive me for wanting to know your intent. The last time you were here you tried to desiccate me," he reminded him, growing angrier with the thought.

"We saw you as a threat to Elena," Stefan defended. "Maybe you understand where we were coming from now," he said, looking towards the entranceway where Caroline now stood.

_Now dressed in a red plaid shirt and grey tank top, she looked on worriedly at the both of them, obviously having listened to some of their exchange. _

_She stepped in the room and handed him his shirt she had borrowed. _

"You would protect Caroline," Stefan stated, almost as a question.

_Caroline sat down, still eyeing both of them with apprehension. _

"From real threats; I was never a threat to Elena. You admitted as much when you agreed to go with me when I left town with her," he remind him as he buttoned up his shirt.

- "To protect her," Stefan interjected.

_He rolled his eyes. _

"So tell me, Stefan. How do you see me now?" he asked curiously as he sat down on the sofa beside Caroline. "Or Caroline for that matter...Do see us as the abominations your lovely Elena sees us as?"

_Caroline looked uncomfortable while Stefan looked pensive. _

"Well you're no longer a threat since you're helping us with the hunter," Stefan started. "But you're not doing it for us; you're doing it for Caroline. You care about her, it's obvious."

_He shuffled a little in his seat. _

"She cares about you. You can't help how you feel. Despite what you've done to us, who am I to hold that against either you?" Stefan admitted.

_He felt vindicated. _

"So if I can put the bad you've done behind me, for the sake of my friendship with Caroline, perhaps you can put my role in your desiccation behind you," Stefan proposed with a smirk, knowing he now had the upper hand.

"Perhaps you'd like to share that little piece of insight with your girlfriend" he suggested bitterly. "Speaking of her...I believe you were just about to share the purpose of your visit before we went off on such a tangent," he reminded Stefan.

_Caroline looked between the two of them hesitantly. _

"We can talk somewhere privately if you want," Caroline offered Stefan, defying him entirely.

_He grovelled inwardly. _

_It was Stefan's turn to look reluctantly between him and Caroline. _

_He shrugged and threw up his hands. _

"By all means..." he said through gritted teeth.

_An amused expression crossed Stefan's face at his submission to Caroline. _

"It's okay, Caroline," Stefan relented, "I guess Klaus will find out eventually anyways."

"What's going on, Stefan?" Caroline asked. "Elena seemed really off today and Bonnie said that their trip to Whitmore College didn't go very well."

_Stefan sat back and took a sip of his drink with a lowly expression, as if to say that Caroline's inferences were an understatement. _

"Whitmore College?" he questioned, this having been the first he was hearing of Elena's excursion.

"Bonnie went to Whitmore yesterday to meet with a professor who took over her Grams's classes when she passed away. Elena and Damon went. Damon thought it would be a good trip to teach Elena how to feed on humans, since she's not having much luck with animal blood or blood bags," Stefan explained.

_He raised his eyebrows and tried to hide his entertained expression._

"I'm sure that went over well," he remarked.

_Caroline scoffed and nudged him discreetly in the side. _

"They went to some frat party. She let the bloodlust take over. Damon encouraged her," Stefan revealed.

"So is that why you weren't at school today and why Elena left your name off the second prom ticket she bought?" Caroline asked, clearly believing there to be more to Stefan's story.

_She had a point. Stefan loved Elena. If she was having problems adjusting he wouldn't abandon her. He recalled how hard it had been to force Stefan to forget Elena on their trip to Chicago. _

_Stefan shook his head, confirming both their suspicions. _

"Late last night when they got back, she told me everything that happened. She also acknowledged her feelings for Damon in the process. We broke up," Stefan informed them.

_He noticed Caroline's jaw was agape, and while he was not one to indulge in personal gossip, admittedly, he was just as surprised and intrigued. _

"Oh my god. I can't believe this," Caroline gasped. "So what, is she with Damon now?"

_Stefan shrugged. _

"She says she needs time to sort through her feelings," Stefan muttered.

"Right. We all know what that means. I bet Damon is helping Elena 'sort through' her 'feelings,'" he snorted with an eye roll, garnering himself another jab in the ribs from Caroline.

"He's right, Caroline," Stefan admitted. "Klaus is probably right," he sighed.

_Caroline frowned and moved to sit down beside Stefan. _

"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "Elena's just going through a rough time right now. She's confused. Damon's letting his feelings for her take advantage of the circumstances."

"Taking advantage seems to be Damon's thing," he snarled, thinking about Caroline's past with the elder Salvatore.

_Stefan seemed to acknowledge his observation with a small smirk. _

"What are you going to do?" Caroline asked. "You can't just let Damon swoop in," she pressed. "You and Elena are meant to be together," she added for encouragement.

_Her comments intrigued him. How did you know when two people were destined to be together? How did she know?_

"Maybe we're not," Stefan replied cynically. "Maybe I should just leave her be," he thought.

_He wanted to offer words as encouraging as Caroline's, but he hadn't drank near enough alcohol to try and bond with his former friend. Besides, he wasn't too keen on Elena anyways. Deep down he thought Stefan deserved better. _

_Caroline shook her head; vehemently opposed to Stefan's pessimism. _

"You need to talk to her," Caroline persisted. "Regardless of her feelings, she's on a dangerous road with her bloodlust. Isolating herself with Damon isn't going to help. She needs you, Stefan," she continued.

_Stefan hesitated. _

_He hid his distaste for how generous Caroline was being with Elena. After how hypocritical and unreasonable Elena had been with her, she didn't deserve Caroline's concern. _

"Perhaps you should just let it be, love," he said, glancing at her. "Don't stress yourself over someone who cares so little for you," he added.

_Caroline sighed, clearly frustrated with both Stefan and his sour attitudes. _

"After how Elena has been with you recently, most people in your shoes would have given up on her by now," Stefan said.

_She smiled sweetly, clearly appreciatively of Stefan's words. _

"Elena and I have been practically joined at the hip since we were young. I'm not going to stop looking out or her just because she happens to disapprove of my romantic life," she reasoned.

_Stefan nodded. _

_Her readily forgiving nature was nearly unimaginable to him. Elena had been so cruel to her. He couldn't understand her persistence. _

"I know I should feel the same way. I know that I should continue to look out for her even though I disapprove of her relationships," Stefan started, "but this is really close to home for me. It's still a fresh wound," he responded.

"You're hurting, those feelings are understandable; but you only feel this way because you care deeply for her. Elena needs you to balance out Damon's influence," she maintained.

_Stefan finished his drink and he followed the Salvatore's lead. He no longer cared to engage in such a personal conversation and he had a feeling Stefan felt the same. Commiseration was only effective to an extent. Stefan needed a distraction. _

"I know she does," Stefan agreed. "But it can't be me right now. I just can't do it," he lamented. "That's part of the reason why I came to talk to you. I was hoping you would go and try to talk to her," he told Caroline.

_Now it was Caroline's turn for reluctance. _

_He scoffed aloud at Stefan's suggestion. _

"Because last time went over so well," he groaned. "Are you serious, mate?" he asked Stefan rhetorically.

"Elena doesn't want anything to do with me Stefan. She's made that clear," Caroline hesitated.

_Stefan shrugged his hands in defeat. _

"The last time you tried to talk to her she had almost just killed someone. It was the wrong time. Maybe she'll be more receptive now," Stefan proposed.

"Your girlfr...er ex-girlfriend wasn't very receptive this afternoon when I put her in a group with Caroline. I doubt her reaction will be much different now," he said dismissively.

_Caroline was obviously conflicted. _

"I'm in no position to judge her relationship with Damon, Stefan," Caroline conceded.

_Stefan shook his head. _

"I know. I'm not asking you to talk to her about Damon. I'm just asking you to check in on her...help her with the vampire stuff," Stefan clarified. "Right now she's hanging off of Damon's every word. She needs someone. You're the only person I know that could have the slightest chance of getting through to her," Stefan said.

"What about Bonnie?" Caroline suggested.

"Bonnie is a good friend to Elena, but she doesn't understand being a vampire," Stefan retorted.

_Caroline bit her lip pensively. _

"I really don't think Elena is going to want to talk to me," Caroline maintained. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

_He didn't have a good feeling about it either. In his mind he already foresaw another verbal fighting match between Caroline and the doppelganger, which would inevitably lead to hurt feelings and him having to deal with the aftermath. Caroline would be heartbroken and discouraged once more as opposed to calmly indifferent. _

"Please Caroline. It would mean a lot to me if you would try," Stefan pleaded, pulling out the puppy dog eyes he had been so familiar with in the twenties when Stefan would urge him to accompany him on another kill.

_Caroline looked in his direction as if to seek his advice or approval. _

"I think it's a bad idea," he said flatly.

_She turned back to Stefan. _

"I'll do it," she acquiesced.

_Stefan smiled appreciatively. _

"Is it opposite day? Perhaps I should have said it was a great idea?" he complained.

_He knew there was nothing he could do to stop her. It's not like going to talk to Elena was a life or death situation. However, he still felt inclined to voice his disdain for the idea. _

"Elena needs someone besides Damon. I at least have to try and talk to her," Caroline said to him, defending her decision. "I'll go now," she decided. "Rebekah asked me to drop her off at the Grill when I was upstairs changing, anyways," she added.

_He rolled his eyes with a sharp exhale. So much for a repeat of their tryst in his study, he thought to himself. _

_After Stefan and Caroline went over how she should approach Elena and he was finished half of another drink, she went to retrieve her purse and keys. _

_He followed her out to the foyer just as she hollered upstairs for Rebekah. _

"Are you sure this is a good idea, love?" he asked as he took her jacket from her and helped her put it on.

"No," she admitted.

_He looked at her quizzically. _

"Then why are you going?" he wondered.

_She shrugged. _

"It's not like I have Elena's friendship to lose," she said.

"Maybe not," he conceded. "But you certainly have hope of regaining it to lose," he countered. "I just don't want you to come back disappointed."

_She smiled sweetly at him and gave him a quick kiss before Stefan or Rebekah's prying eyes could see. _

"I'm not going to get my hopes up," she assured him. "Besides, if I come back disappointed I know for a fact you can take my mind off it," she teased.

_He smirked, cursing himself for falling victim to her playful side. _

"Can I take your mind off of it even if you don't come back disappointed?" he asked.

_She nodded with a laugh and rosy cheeks. _

"Maybe you could take Stefan's mind off things while I'm gone?" she suggested.

_He gave her a horrified look. _

"I don't swing that way, sweetheart," he protested.

_She smirked. _

"I don't mean _that_. I just mean maybe you could take him down to the Grill later for a drink? You guys were friends once. He shouldn't be alone right now," she explained.

"What kind of drink?" he asked.

_Caroline glowered at him. _

"What kind do you think?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"I'll consider it," he chuckled, as Rebekah came running down the stairs, overly-dressed for a "reassessment" with Matt, as Caroline referred to it as.

_A night out with his old pal Stefan could be interesting. Caroline was right about Stefan not being alone. Perhaps he would kill two birds with one stone and cross paths with the hunter again? _

"Behave," Caroline warned, as Rebekah, for fear of being late, was practically dragging her out the doorway.

* * *

"Come on, mate," he said to Stefan as he re-entered the parlour. "Let's go."

_Stefan looked up at him confused. _

"We're going out for a drink...down to the pub...er the Grill," he said.

_An amused expression emerged on Stefan's face. _

"Caroline put you up to this, didn't she? Two seconds ago you were still grovelling over my part in your desiccation," Stefan chuckled.

_He glowered at Stefan. _

"Caroline may have suggested it. Really, though, what are you going to do otherwise, brood all night? Aside from Caroline, I'm the best friend you've got," he mused. "Besides, you technically...what's the word? Cock-block? Yes, you cock-blocked me for the remainder of the evening, so it's safe to say you owe me," he added.

_Stefan grimaced. _

"So is this like a date then?" Stefan laughed, "Because I don't put out on the first date."

"Well, if you count the twenties, I'd say we're past the first date," he countered.

_Stefan considered his point and conceded to it with a shrug. _

"Another drink sounds good," Stefan admitted.

* * *

_They arrived at the Grill just as the dinner crowd was leaving and the drinking crowd were taking their places. While this wasn't his first choice for an evening out – the food was mediocre, the music was noise, and the patrons were questionable – it was the only passable place in Mystic Falls. _

_He noticed Rebekah sitting with Matt at a booth in the corner on their way to the bar. Spying on his sister hadn't crossed his mind at first when Caroline suggested he bring Stefan here, but it could prove to be mildly entertaining. _

"Your sister is here," Stefan pointed out.

_He nodded. _

"Yes, apparently Matt Donovan, the bus boy, has granted her an audience after she ran him off Wickery bridge," he stated.

_As the bartender passed, he promptly ordered himself a barely vintage bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon while Stefan opted for something a little stiffer; he supposed the circumstances warranted it. _

"You know, I stand by what I said before," he started as he filled his wine glass, "Elena is making a mistake with Damon."

_Stefan laughed as he sipped his bourbon. _

"I'm glad you of all people think so," he replied. "Do you think Caroline will get through to Elena at all?" he asked anxiously.

_He shook his head. _

"It's doubtful. Elena seems deadest on Damon and deadest against speaking to Caroline," he sighed.

_Stefan hung his head as he turned his glass in his hand. _

"She's like this entirely different person," Stefan went on.

"Who? Caroline?" he asked.

_Stefan smirked. _

"Elena. Since she turned, she's not who she was. I thought becoming a vampire enhanced who you were...not completely changed you," Stefan said. "She's not as considerate; she hangs off every word Damon says..."

"Peculiar," he noted before taking a sip of his glass.

_Picking up on the mischievous tone in his voice, Stefan glared up at him. _

"What?" Stefan demanded.

_He shrugged. _

"I can't take credit for creating the sire bond," he hinted.

_Stefan's eyes widened. _

"You think Elena is sired to Damon?" Stefan asked.

"Well it's not outside the realm of possibility," he supposed.

_For a second Stefan looked hopeful and he debated about divulging the details of the cure to his former friend. _

"That has to be it," Stefan concluded, almost ready to stand up.

_He pushed Stefan's shoulder. _

"Sit down, enjoy your drink. Caroline should be with Elena now. Let's not jump the gun. The sire bond is only a hypothesis to be tested," he reminded Stefan.

_Stefan relaxed and indulged in his drink once more. _

"How do you break a vampire sire bond?" Stefan wondered.

"You don't," he answered simply. "The sire has to relinquish all ties."

_Stefan downed the rest of his drink at his discouraging words. _

"Damon will never do that," Stefan concluded.

_The possibility of a cure crossed his mind again, but he hesitated. He didn't want Stefan to get his hopes up, nor did he want his once enemies getting any ideas about using the cure against him. He needed to remain in control of this. _

_With the bartender occupied at the other end, he took it upon himself to reach over the bar for another bottle. Touching a familiar bottle, he pulled it up and set it in front of Stefan; a green bottle of Jägermeister. _

"Drink up, mate. It's not like the sire bond is going anywhere," he said.

_Thoroughly dejected at this point, Stefan twisted off the cap with an indifferent shrug. _

_This moment of commiseration reminded him of their drunken therapy sessions in the twenties. _

"Let's just stop talking about Elena and Damon," Stefan grumbled.

_He raised his glass to that before taking a generous sip of wine. _

"Fine by me," he stated, uninterested in hearing anymore about the doppelganger that had caused him so much trouble and the brother of Stefan who had been such a thorn in his side.

"So you and Caroline..." Stefan started.

_He groaned into his glass. _

"I don't believe this is what I had in mind for a change of topic," he said.

"Well it's a pretty significant topic to not mention," Stefan pointed out.

_He shrugged. _

"I'm just a little dumbfounded," Stefan admitted, taking a swig of the liqueur. "She doesn't seem like your type."

_He cocked his eyebrows. _

"I wasn't aware I had a type. As I recall, in the twenties you were too busy screwing anything that moved – not excluding my sister – to even notice the women I indulged in," he reminded Stefan. "And when you weren't seducing and shagging, you were mutilating and killing," he smirked.

_There was a hint of guilt in Stefan's eyes, but he could also see a flicker of light; as though there was a part of Stefan who thought fondly of their days in the twenties. _

"I just pictured you with someone more diabolical?" Stefan explained with a chuckle. "Or no one at all. As I recall, in the twenties you scorned my relationship with your sister under the pretense that love was a myth and always doomed to fail," Stefan retorted.

"And didn't it?" he remarked with a smirk.

_Stefan glimpsed over at Rebekah and Matt. _

"Thanks to your compulsion," Stefan mused, turning back for his bottle.

_He shrugged innocently before pouring some more wine into his glass. _

"Don't ask me to rationally explain something so obviously irrational, Stefan," he said.

"Well you obviously see something in her?" Stefan wondered. "You wouldn't still be in Mystic Falls if you didn't," he pried.

_It amused him how well Stefan knew him still after decades of estrangement. His doppelganger reason for remaining in Mystic Falls had ceased to be relevant – well until the appearance of the hunter – he should have been long gone by now. _

"Unless you're..."

"She's unbelievably vibrant Stefan; full of life...beauty...a charming innocence. She intrigues me," he interjected, offering Stefan a haphazard explanation before Stefan could suggest that he had ulterior motives with Caroline.

"Intrigues you?" Stefan clarified. "Do you love her?" Stefan asked.

_He felt his chest grow heavy with Stefan's inquisition. _

"Call it whatever you want, mate," he conceded before helping himself to another drink.

_Stefan arched a disbelieving eyebrow and a semi-inebriated smirk in his direction. _

"I'm just looking out for Caroline, she..."

- "I care for her, alright?" he said to Stefan with a defensive glare. "There, I said it. Are you satisfied?" he grovelled.

_Stefan chuckled at his apparent embarrassment with a nod. _

"And I'm waiting for the judgement," he mused sarcastically as he lifted his glass.

_Stefan shook his head and lifted his hands. _

"No judgement. I'm certainly not perfect, so I'm not going to hold your past actions against you when it comes to Caroline. I think Elena is being unreasonable with her," Stefan said.

"Well considering Elena's 'whatever it is' with Damon, I'd say so," he acknowledged.

_Damon seemed to be something that he and Stefan, on the surface of things, could agree upon. _

_Stefan's expression darkened. _

"Right, we weren't going to mention them," he apologized.

_They drank in silence beside each other for a few moments. He checked his phone briefly for any word from Caroline, and stole a few glances over in Rebekah's direction. Matt wasn't lying dead on the floor yet and Rebekah wasn't in tears, so he supposed their conversation was going well. The more devious part of him had an urge to sabotage the entire thing. _

"So what happens once the hunter has been dealt with?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Caroline has agreed to leave Mystic Falls with me," he replied simply. "Regardless if she's made amends with _all_ of her friends," he explained.

"Wow," Stefan breathed, pausing to process the information. "That's big. Where will you go?" he asked.

_There were endless options for their first destination, but he wasn't decided. _

_He shrugged. _

"Caroline wants to be surprised and I suppose I don't want to culture shock her, yet, so perhaps somewhere stateside. Maybe I'll take her to our old stomping grounds? I'm sure she'd love to hear tales of our adventures in the twenties as we walked the streets of the windy city," he laughed.

_Stefan laughed alongside him, knowing that if Caroline was aware of half of the shenanigans they got up to in the twenties she'd probably want nothing to do with either of them – Stefan probably more so than him. _

"You know," he started as he scanned over the wine bottle label, "if things don't end up going your way with Elena you could always tag along," he proposed.

_Stefan eyed him incredulously and waved a hand in refusal. _

"I'd rather not be the third wheel," Stefan commented humorously.

"I'm sure you could keep yourself occupied from time to time. I had to put up with you and my sister," he reminded him.

"True enough," Stefan considered amusedly as he took another swig from his bottle.

_He poured himself more wine and drank with a little more ease. _

_When he turned back to Stefan, he noticed his attention was on the Grill's entrance. _

_Damon was with Elena. _

"She doesn't look too happy," he muttered, checking his phone once more for any news from Caroline.

_There was nothing. _

"Maybe I'll be taking you up on your offer after all," Stefan scowled.

_He finished the rest of his wine with one final swig. _

"Come on, mate. Let's go find ourselves something else to drink," he said to Stefan, standing up from his seat.

_Stefan seemed to know what he was implying, but followed him anyways, however reluctant, out the side entrance before Damon and Elena could spot them. _

"I'm not under your compulsion anymore, Klaus. I don't drink from humans," Stefan said hesitantly as he followed him out into the parking lot. "I might be pissed off right now, but I'm not going there."

_He laughed as he looked up towards the sky. _

"It's a full moon," he observed, "and while as a hybrid, I'm not forced to turn, I still have this unremitting urge to do just that; to hunt; to kill. So what do you say? Whoever takes the biggest game wins?" he assured his wary comrade with a smirk.

"How do I know that you won't just attack me and label yourself the winner?" Stefan mused.

_He gazed over at Stefan with amusement. _

"Really, Stefan? Unlike wolves, hybrids have a bit more self-control than that. Besides, vampires aren't our prey of choice, and in the event that I do attack you, I possess the antidote," he stated.

_Stefan rolled his eyes. _

"Just something else for you to hold over my head," Stefan groaned excitedly before knocking him to the ground unexpectedly and rushing off into the night, clearly taking on his challenge.

_He recovered from the blow quickly and darted after him under the dark shadows of the streets. _

_Once on the edge of town he indulged in the still painful but exhilarating process of becoming a wolf. _

_It was quick, and in no time he was on all fours racing through a field towards the tree line in pursuit of Stefan's scent. _

_As a wolf, scents were even easier to track, and he caught up to Stefan in no time, leaping against his back and pinning him down, before carrying on in search of the game that would make him the winner. _

_He cursed Stefan for not giving him the time to incorporate some stakes into their impromptu challenge. _

_When he was far enough away, he slowed his pace, concentrating on the aromas of the air. _

_He could smell a recently injured buck, but there was something stronger impeding his senses. He stopped completely and focused. _

_That's when he smelled her. He could smell everything about her; her sweat, her raspberry perfume, her fear, and most prominently, her blood. Caroline was here in the woods. _

_He tore off in the direction of her consuming scent, stopping when he found her on the ground shaking like a leaf with blood drenched jeans and a gaping wound on her left thigh._

* * *

_She dropped an eager Rebekah off at the Grill and drove to Elena's house only to be told by Jeremy that Elena wasn't home. _

_A text to Bonnie revealed that Elena wasn't there either, so she went to the place where she knew deep down Elena would be; the Salvatore boarding house. _

_Sure enough, as she pulled into the driveway, she spotted Elena's car parked out front. _

_Sighing, she parked behind Elena's car and headed for the house. _

_Her nerves were out of control at the prospect of confronting Elena once more. _

_What if Klaus was right and things didn't go as planned?_

_It could end up being a repeat of the other night; it could be her last chance to get through to Elena and make amends. _

_She was petrified that she would sabotage this opportunity. _

_If she was being honest, she was doing this for herself as much as she was Stefan. Stefan's request was simply the incentive she needed to go talk to Elena. _

_When she reached the front door, she debated about turning back for her car but she forced herself to knock. _

_She needed to talk to Elena; Elena needed to talk to her, even if she didn't realize it. No, she wasn't here to criticize Elena for her feelings for Damon; it wasn't her place. She was simply here to try and help Elena. To offer her a counterbalance to Damon in her efforts to navigate her way through her transition into a vampire. Mostly though, she was here to lend Elena her ear as she would have if they were human best friends and she had just broken up with her boyfriend; like she had been when Elena broke up with Matt. _

_She listened carefully as heavy footsteps barrelled down the staircase for the door. _

_Hopefully she wasn't interrupting anything too personal, she cringed. _

_A surprised look crossed Damon's face as he opened the door to find her there on the other side; a look similar to how Klaus responded to Stefan's appearance earlier. _

"Vampire Barbie, you're the last person I was expecting to be at the door," Damon stated.

_She gave him a faint smile. _

"Let me guess, you're not here to see me?" he said as he leaned into the door.

_Before she could answer, she heard Elena approaching them. _

"Who is it, Damon?" she asked.

_Damon raised his eyebrows innocently as he pulled the door open and stepped out of the way. _

_Elena seemed just as surprised to see her. _

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked anxiously.

"I just wanted to talk," she said.

_Elena crossed her arms. _

"Let me guess, Stefan sent you," Elena said disapprovingly.

_She sighed. _

"He asked me to come, but I want to be here, not just for him," she defended.

_Elena scoffed and rolled her eyes. _

"I don't feel like listening to a lecture from you," Elena berated.

_She fought hard to keep her cool. If she got too defensive Elena would shut down and refuse to speak with her entirely. _

"I'm not here to lecture you, Elena. I just want to talk things out. I want to give you someone to talk to. I want to try and resolve our differences. I miss my best friend, and I'm going to assume you need a friend to talk to," she said hopefully.

_Elena shrugged. _

"I'm fine," Elena started, "I don't need..."

_Damon cleared his throat and glared back at Elena. _

_Elena glowered back at him, clearly confused by Damon's intent. _

"Maybe you should hear her out, Elena," Damon suggested, turning back to give her a sympathetic look.

_Damon's conciliatory gesture startled her. _

_Why was he suddenly being so nice to her now? Was he feeling guilty? Maybe; but what did he feel guilty for? Hurting his brother or hurting her? Both? _

"Fine," Elena relented, dropping her arms against her sides in defeat.

_Elena's reaction to Damon's efforts stunned her even more. _

_Two seconds ago Elena had been dead set against talking to her, and now with a few urging words from Damon, she was agreeing to speak with her. _

_Something wasn't right, she thought. _

_Damon opened the door further to encourage her to come inside. _

"Are you gonna come in so we can talk, or what?" Elena asked annoyed.

_She nodded as she snapped herself out of her reluctance and stepped inside. _

"I'll leave you two girls alone," Damon mused, as he headed for the stairs.

_She followed Elena into the Salvatore living room. _

_Elena dropped down onto one sofa with a loud huff. _

_She approached the sofa across from Elena cautiously and sat down slowly. _

"So what do you want to talk about?" Elena asked with fake enthusiasm.

_She shrugged apprehensively. _

"I wanted to see how you were adjusting to being a vampire. The last time we crossed paths, things weren't going so well," she started. "Bonnie told me about Whitmore..."

_Elena scoffed. _

"What? That I successfully fed off humans and had a great time?" Elena retorted.

"A little too much of a good time," she added.

_Elena shook her head. _

"Caroline, I can't drink from animals or from blood bags. Last night I fed from humans without killing them. A little support would be nice," Elena frowned.

"That's really good news," she said, trying to be enthusiastic. "But Bonnie said you were revelling in it, that things went a little overboard," she said.

_Elena crossed her arms and flashed an indifferent expression. _

"Maybe they did a little," Elena admitted. "But it was my first time. Besides, Damon was there, he wouldn't have let anything bad happen," she added.

_She arched her eyebrow in disbelief. _

"Are you sure?" she asked Elena.

_Elena hesitated. _

"So this is really about Damon?" Elena countered.

"No, Elena. It's about me wanting to help you; to be there for you alongside Damon; I know what Damon's opinions are on drinking from humans, and I know you see things differently. I just want to support you," she tried.

_Elena shook her head. _

"I'm fine," Elena said shakily.

"Are you? Because you just broke up with your boyfriend..." she wondered, deciding to discuss her break-up with Stefan.

"Obviously it's not something I ever thought would happen, but last night brought me closer to Damon...made me realize how strong my feelings are for him. I can't be with Stefan when I have these unresolved emotions for his brother. I can't be with Stefan with my feeding habits. He can't be with me. It would be like an alcoholic in a relationship with a binge drinker," Elena confessed. "Stefan doesn't love me as I am now," she added solemnly.

_She frowned disappointedly with Elena's admissions. _

"He does," she protested.

"No, he doesn't," Elena retorted. "I know what I'm doing, Caroline. I don't need your help. I know how I feel."

_She gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her frustration and annoyance with her friend. Why couldn't Elena just be open with her like she used to be? Why was she so against another helping hand? _

"And I know how you feel about Damon, but I can't just ignore my feelings to appease Stefan...or you," Elena continued.

_Her eyes widened at Elena's bold and hypocritical comment. _

"Seriously? Did you actually just say that to me?" she demanded. "I would never ask you to ignore your feelings, Elena. Although I do recall you asking me to ignore mine," she countered. "No, Damon isn't my favourite person in the world, but I'm not here to challenge your feelings for him. I'm here to offer you support; to help you through this and your transition, because that's what best friends do."

"Klaus is di..."

- "Don't tell me that Klaus is different," she interrupted Elena mid-sentence.

_She could tell Elena was becoming more hostile. _

"Klaus killed Jenna; he killed me," Elena protested. "I can't forget that."

"And I'm not asking you to!" she lamented. "But you forgave Damon..."

"What Damon has done doesn't compare to Klaus," Elena argue.

_She shook her head furiously as she stood up from the sofa. _

"How dare you presume to tell me that the pain I felt when Damon took advantage of me was any less than the pain you felt when Klaus killed your aunt. And let's not whitewash Damon's track record, he's hurt a lot of other people too; he killed Lexi, he killed Jeremy, he killed Matt's sister," she listed bitterly. "And yet no one is ostracizing you for your feelings for Damon. I'm not ostracizing you, because I can separate Damon's past and how he is with you. I can respect your feelings and not hold them against you," she ranted. "So please stop holding my feelings for Klaus against me."

_Elena seemed considerate, but still mostly indifferent. _

_Her eyes were blurry with tears. She was so frustrated by how stubborn Elena was being. _

"I know you hate Klaus...but I love him, Elena. I love him. Don't ask me to ignore how I feel, when you can't even fathom doing the same," she cried. "Why can't you just respect how I feel so we can move past this? So we can be friends again?" she questioned.

_Elena looked away cowardly, but she couldn't miss the hint of water in her eyes. _

_When Elena said nothing, she scoffed with a long frown. _

"I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of you constantly shutting me down. It hurts too much. It hurts to have your once best friend reject you for who you are. I had this idea in my head that I would come here tonight and we'd talk and make amends, but I guess that was foolish," she confessed. "I've tried everything. I've tried talking to you, helping you, going after the council and the hunter for the cure. I'm done," she lamented.

"The cure?" Elena asked confused.

_She hadn't even realized she had let that piece of information slip. It wasn't intentional; she was just letting her thoughts flow freely. She wasn't even sure Klaus wanted anyone else to know. _

"Klaus says the hunter is part of a supernatural group of hunters; the Five. He says the hunter can lead to a cure for vampirism," she said vaguely, protecting some of the details. "A cure Klaus could get for you if you wanted it," she said.

_Elena's eyes widened as she sat forward and tried to process what she had told her. _

"So he could use my blood to create hybrids," Elena said dismissively.

_She scoffed. _

"By the sounds of it, obtaining the cure sounds like a lot of trouble just to create a few hybrids. After you died, Klaus resigned himself to the fact he wouldn't have more hybrids. He doesn't need the cure like he once did. He's doing this for me...for you, as much as he is for hybrids. And anyways wouldn't a blood donation be worthwhile in exchange for a cure?" she told Elena.

"Yes, because it would be as simple as a donation. Klaus was going to hold me against my will before we desiccated him," Elena interjected.

"He wouldn't now, Elena. He knows that it would upset me. I wouldn't let him do that to you," she reasoned.

_Elena didn't look convinced. _

_She shrugged and threw her arms up in defeat. _

"But why would I encourage Klaus to potentially put our lives and our relationship at risk for this cure...for you when you don't want anything to do with me? When you refuse to try and understand where I'm coming from?" she wondered.

"You can't blackmail my friendship," Elena scowled.

"That was never my intention. I was going to give you this cure if you wanted it, no questions asked. My only hope was that you would see it as a sign of my good faith; a sign of how much our friendship means to me. I was hoping that realization would resolve things between us. But I mean, after everything I've done...and Klaus has done so far with no acknowledgement from you, is going after the cure really wise?" she answered. "I don't know anymore."

_Elena winced and caught a few tears that escaped her eyes. _

"I do know that I'm done pushing you. I shouldn't have to fight this hard for our friendship over something that should have only been a misunderstanding. I'm tired of the stress and the pain. I need to move on," she said decidedly. "Good-bye, Elena," she stammered, fighting hard to hold back some more tears as she turned to leave.

_On her way out she practically ran into Damon in the hall. _

_He frowned when he noticed that her cheeks were wet. _

"I tried," he offered.

_She nodded before pushing past him for the door._

* * *

_Once in her car, she brushed her remaining tears away and backed out of the Salvatore driveway a little too eagerly. _

_She stepped on the gas hoping the speed would help flush out her anger, but it wasn't working. She had to get the hurt and the disappointment out before she returned to Klaus's. She didn't want to run into Elijah or Kol like this, and she certainly didn't want Klaus to come home to her like this. He had been right. She shouldn't have gone to see Elena. She should have let things be. _

_With a drawn out, but decisive sigh, she made a sharp turn and pulled her car off to the side of the road. _

_She let out a painful cry before taking slow breaths to calm herself. _

_It didn't help. _

_Gazing out to the forest line along the road, illuminated only by the light of the moon, she found herself with the urge to hunt. _

_No, she wasn't going to hunt people. She could control herself enough to stick to wild game, but she needed to get her aggressive energy out. Her desire to hunt and feed hadn't been this strong in a long time. _

_It would calm her down. It would tire her out, she reasoned. _

_She climbed out of her car and walked to the edge of the wooded area. _

_The cool spring air was ripe with life; with blood. She inhaled deeply in an effort to pick up the scent of an unsuspecting target. _

_She could smell a lone buck not far off. It was probably hunting just as she was. _

_Speeding into the forest, she stopped a few feet away from the still ignorant prey. _

_Her chest was rising and falling rapidly from the running and anticipation. _

_Stifling her sound so as not to alert the deer, she waited a few moments and then lunged out towards the animal, pinning it to the ground and sinking her teeth into the side of its neck effortlessly. _

_Surely its blood was not as satisfying as the pre-packaged human blood she had become accustomed to, but what it lacked in human DNA it more than made up for in the raw feeling that could only come from the thrill of the hunt. _

_She was so lost in the feed that she failed notice the presence of another animal until the close crunch of old fall leaves alerted her. _

_Gazing up from the deer, she saw a pair of amber eyes staring her down, as though she was its prey; a wolf. _

_Her entire body felt numb as she cursed herself for not putting two and two together with the full moon she took note of minutes ago. _

_At first she suspected Tyler, but Tyler had a black coat when he turned; this wolf was grey. _

_As the wolf bared its salivating mouth and fangs, she made an attempt to take off, but it pounced on her, nipping her on her thigh before she could escape. _

_She shrieked in agony at the bite as the wolf peered down at her with a predatory stare. _

_Fighting the shock, she threw the wolf off of her and attempted to run back for the clearing. _

_She didn't make it very far before vertigo caused her to trip across a thick tree root and fall to her knees. _

_Anticipating the grey wolf to be seconds behind her, her head jerked up from the ground when she heard movement in front of her. _

_Another wolf was perched atop a fallen tree. This wolf was tan with a bit of black and brown strewn about its coat. It had to be with the grey wolf, she concluded. She started to panic, but for some reason she felt less threatened by this wolf than she had by the other. _

_Branches snapped behind her and she was met with the snarl of the grey wolf she encountered earlier. Great, now there were not one, but two wolves and she was in the middle. _

_She tried to stand up but her leg was in excruciating pain and she felt too dizzy to move further. _

_The tan wolf was growling viciously with its ears pointed forward and tail straight, and at first she thought the gesture was for her, until she realized intense eye contact being exchanged between the two wolves. _

_She pushed herself back in the brush when the tan wolf leaped from its perch on the log towards the grey wolf. _

_Even better, they were fighting over who would claim her for dinner. _

_She could already feel her body growing hot with fever as the venom started to spread._

_The wolves continued to fight and it wasn't long before the tan wolf gained the upper hand. Acting fast, the tan wolf sunk its teeth deep into the grey wolf's side eliciting a sharp cry from it. The tan wolf tore violently at the grey wolf's chest until it was obvious that it was dead. _

_With their dispute settled, the tan wolf turned back for her, causing her to freeze instantly. _

_Now it was her turn, she thought. _

_Barely able to crawl away, she was ready to give up until an out of breath Stefan appeared._

"Caroline!" Stefan gasped.

"Stefan!" she panicked, as the wolf approached her.

"It's Klaus," Stefan said.

_She looked quizzically between Stefan and the wolf that was approaching her open wound cautiously with ears back and tail down. _

"Klaus?" she asked as she wiped the frightened tears from her cheeks.

_The wolf's face rose promptly and she was met with familiar amber eyes. _

_Her tense body began to relax a little and she finally regained control of her breathing. _

"Why are you out here? Are you okay?" Stefan asked as he approached.

"Why is he like this?" she asked ignoring Stefan's questions as she extended the back of her hand slowly towards the wolf's – er Klaus's snout.

_Klaus startled her by sinking his teeth into the cuff of her jacket and pulling her forwards. _

_She didn't know what he was trying to do. _

"I think he's trying to get you to stand up," Stefan suggested as he took her other hand and helped her from the ground.

_Dizziness from the venom caused her to fall into Stefan. _

"Things didn't go well with Elena. I came out here to hunt it off. I got a buck. This grey wolf came out of nowhere and attacked me. I fought it off and ended up here," she retold with a sorrowful laugh. "I wasn't even thinking about the full moon."

_Stefan sighed, obviously equally dismayed about her predicament and the negative outcome with Elena. _

"Klaus and I were doing the same," Stefan said as he propped her up against him.

_Their heads jerked with the sound of a yipping bark. _

_Klaus was sitting a few feet in front of them, seemingly urging them to follow him. _

"We need to get you back to Klaus's so he can heal you," Stefan said.

"Klaus is always barking orders," she laughed slowly as Stefan picked her up and her vision went fuzzy.

_She directed Stefan towards the road where her car was. He laid her in the backseat and Klaus hopped in at her feet. _

_The venom was making her head spin so much she was starting to question whether Klaus as a wolf was just a hallucination. _

"You're gonna get my backseat all hairy," she groaned in between coughs. "Why don't you just run home?" she proposed to wolf-Klaus as Stefan got in the driver's seat and sped off for Klaus's.

_The wolf in front of her whined with anxiety before lowering his head to her wound. She flinched when his tongue slid against the torn flesh. It stung at first, but dulled the pain to the point it began to tickle. _

"This is too weird," she protested, pushing her hand against his furry face as she forced herself to sit up.

_He licked her hand and then the sweat that had begun pooling on her face. _

"Gross," she complained with a croaky voice. "Stop," she chided as she turned her head to the side.

_Relenting with a groan, he laid down beside her; taking up most of the backseat. He rested his head over her uninjured leg with a deep exhale. _

_She draped her arm over his neck, petting the soft and heavy fur. _

_This was so surreal. It was hard to imagine this wolf as Klaus. This couldn't actually be him, she thought as she closed her stinging eyes. _

_Klaus had been so against her seeing him as a wolf. He said it was dangerous and that he didn't trust it. If it was so dangerous then why didn't he have her and Stefan torn apart right now? Why was he against her lap like a domesticated dog? _

_Sure he had looked intimidating and threatening at first, especially when he was tearing the life out of that other wolf, but how could she see him as anything but cute and fluffy when he was like this? He kind of reminded her of the husky-shepherd, Zeus, her grandma once owned. _

_A silence filled the car as they got closer to Klaus's. She knew Stefan was curious about what happened with Elena in addition to being disappointed, but he held off asking her given the more pressing situation they were currently in._

* * *

_When they pulled up to Klaus's, Stefan helped her out of the car and picked her up once more. She probably could have walked with his help, but this was easier. _

_Klaus leaped to the front door ahead of them and waited. _

_Luckily the doors were unlocked. _

_Once inside they were met with a startled and confused Elijah as wolf-Klaus dashed up the stairs. _

"What happened?" he asked worriedly as he eyed her in Stefan's arms. "Was that Niklaus?" he asked looking up at the second floor landing.

"She was bit," Stefan informed Elijah.

"By Niklaus?" Elijah panicked.

_She shook her head. _

"There was another wolf," she clarified. "Take me upstairs," she instructed Stefan.

_Directing Stefan to Klaus's room, he let them in and let her down on Klaus's bed. _

_Elijah was in the doorway. _

"I was out hunting by myself after seeing Elena. I wasn't paying attention to the full moon. A wolf attacked me," she explained to Elijah as she pulled off her jacket and Stefan helped remove her boots.

_Her entire body was trembling. _

"Luckily Klaus and I had the same idea. Klaus found her and fought off the other wolf," Stefan finished for her, as he grabbed for some pillows to prop her up with. "Do you think it was Tyler?" he asked her.

_She shook her head. _

"Tyler doesn't look like that. It wasn't him," she confirmed, wincing as she moved her leg.

"Where is Niklaus?" Elijah asked.

"I'm right here," Klaus stated simply from the corridor that lead to his closets and bathroom.

_He was dressed only in a pair of black sweats, more than likely having torn through the clothes he was wearing prior to his wolf transition. _

_She looked at Klaus anxiously as she wiped some sweat off her forehead. _

"Thank you, Stefan, for your assistance tonight," Klaus gestured.

_Stefan nodded. _

"I'll see myself out," he said simply.

"Stefan?" she called as he turned for the doorway.

_He looked back. _

"Thanks. We can talk tomorrow about Elena?" she suggested.

"Sure," he agreed. "Good-night," he spoke, nodding to Elijah as he left the room.

_Klaus glanced from her to Elijah. _

_She began to grow wary. Was this about to turn into another fight? Would he tell her how stupid she was? By the worry on Elijah's face, she could tell he was thinking the same as her. _

"Leave us, Elijah," Klaus instructed his elder brother.

_Elijah looked to her and she nodded, signalling that it was okay for him to go. _

"If you need anything, I'll be in my room," Elijah informed both of them, shutting the door behind him as he left.

_Klaus approached her and she waited for his scathing criticisms to unleash themselves. _

_She closed her eyes. _

"I know, I know, what was I thinking, full moon n all?" she asked sarcastically for him. "I was only thinking about how best I could take my anger for Elena and displace the rest of it somewhere else," she said before breaking out into a coughing spell.

_Sitting up she hunched over and coughed harder. _

_Klaus sat down on the bed beside her. _

_He placed a hand on her back. _

_Brushing her hair to one side, he extended his wrist in front of her. _

"You need to drink, sweetheart," he told her, "before it gets worse."

_She nodded readily as a tickle in her thought provoked another dry cough. _

_Cradling his forearm in her hands, she brought his wrist up to her lips. _

_As she sunk her fangs into his flesh, he wrapped his free arm around her and scooted her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest as she took in the delicious blood remedy. She could feel it begin instantly as the first drops of his blood hit her tongue. Warmth spread through her body and the pain of her wound soon subsided. _

_Not wanting to be greedy, she retracted her fangs and licked the fading puncture wounds clean. _

_She wiped her lips off on the inside of her shirt, knowing it was already too littered with her own blood and dirt to be salvageable. _

_He continued to hold her against him and she made no attempt to break the embrace. _

"So...did I look cute and fluffy?" he asked casually.

_She laughed at his humour with a nod, but her laughter soon turned into tears as she thought back to her conversation with Elena and the close call in the woods. _

"Hey...that wasn't supposed to make you cry, love," he said anxiously, thumbing a few of her tears away.

"Elena was terrible tonight," she sobbed against his skin.

_She heard a long sigh rise up in his chest. _

"What did she say?" he asked.

_She shrugged as she sniffled. _

"She basically reiterated that she doesn't need my help and wants nothing to do with me, all based on the bullshit double standard she has for you and Damon," she complained.

"Of course," Klaus groaned.

"It just hurts," she swallowed. "Elena didn't even seem interested when I mentioned the cure," she blurted.

_Klaus tensed and lifted her up by the chin to look at him. _

"You told her about the cure?" he asked sternly.

_She nodded meekly. _

"I didn't mean to. It just came out. I didn't give her any of the details, except that the hunter has something to do with it," she explained.

_By the contorted expression on his face, she could tell that Klaus was trying to quell his annoyance. _

"You shouldn't have said anything to her," he chastised.

"I know, but shouldn't they at least know about the hunter anyways? If Damon crosses paths with the hunter before we do, he'd kill him and then the path to the cure would be ruined," she pointed out.

_Klaus seemed receptive to her argument. _

_He relaxed and she rested against him once more. _

"I'm almost inclined to think that Damon killing the hunter would be preferable to the cure," he conceded.

_She laughed lightly. _

"I stood up for myself tonight, though," she declared with a bittersweet tone. "I'm done with Elena," she breathed, shutting her eyes as a few more tears fell.

_An audible sigh of surprise escaped Klaus. _

"I'm just done with everything," she lamented. "I'm done with worrying about Elena, about the hunter, the cure, werewolves..." she listed solemnly.

_She looked up at him. _

"I don't want to be here anymore. I want to leave," she said disappointedly. "I just want us. I love you," she whispered.

_He kissed her._

* * *

**A/N: So this chapter was kind of a mixed bag of fun and depressing. Sorry to toy with your emotions. **

**Expect the next chapter to be more light-hearted as we move into Klaus's birthday...if you have any birthday requests, speak now or forever hold your peace.  
**

**Review now maybe? Thanks :D  
**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: This is a long but important note, so please don't skip it, or you might just end up confused. **

**First, I have to thank you all for pushing my fic over 650 reviews and over 300 favs! **

**Second, let me say that I had anticipated to have this next update written and edited by Thursday, but then 4x13 happened and needless to say I was very distracted, and then on Friday I had some unannounced company. I'm sorry. **

**I'm glad I waited though, because I think the ending of my update complements 4x13 rather nicely in a way. **

**This update is a long update; 25,000 words and over 60 pages. No lie. There was a lot of moments/dialogue that I wanted to cover. **

**With that said, you're probably wondering why this particular chapter is shorter than that. I have decided to split the update into three installments. So basically think of this chapter as part 1 of Klaus's birthday. I wanted to do this to give myself a bit of an editing break, and to give you all a reading break. Don't worry though, I will be posting the next two updates very quickly. **

**Feel free to review each part, I'd love to know what you think of each, but I'm fine with one final review too. I'm really fine with any sort of review. I worked hard on this update, so I'm eager to know what you think. **

**As a warning, there is some serious Klaroline fluff in this part with a dash of some graphic adult sexual situations, so if any of that makes you uncomfortable please don't continue. **

**p.s. I also recently just acquired an account on tumblr. My name is idiot-wind. I mainly re-blog and post about Klaroline. I will never update Love Interruption on that site, it will always be here, but I sometimes post about my progress on new updates and when they have been posted. Feel free to check me out.**

* * *

_When she woke the next morning she was pleased to see that Klaus was still dead asleep. _

_She watched his calm expression for a few minutes. _

_After her little meltdown last night, he had assured her they would leave as soon as they could, but deep down she knew it would be easier said than done. Regardless, his words had calmed her down enough to allow him to draw her a bath. By the time she was cleaned up and in fresh pyjamas, he was already asleep in bed. _

_She assumed it had to do with his wolf transition. They had always taken a toll on Tyler, especially when he was still human. He could sleep for hours. Perhaps it affected Klaus the same but to a lesser degree. _

_Casting thoughts of Elena and her newly ignited desire to leave Mystic Falls ASAP to the side, she climbed out of bed quietly and headed for the shower. Today was Klaus's birthday and that's what they would focus on. _

_When she was finished her shower, she rummaged through her hastily packed bag and wrapped herself in the floral robe she brought. _

_Luckily, Klaus was still asleep despite the sunlight that was peeking through the drapes. _

_She slipped through his bedroom doors as quietly as she could and headed for the kitchen. _

_As she descended to the foyer she noticed a few strangers coming in and out of the house with various supplies and props. _

_She had to remind herself that the Mikaelsons always tended to do everything over the top; Klaus's millennial party was no exception. _

_When someone walked past her with a palm tree, she had to do a double take. _

_In the kitchen, she found both Elijah and Kol wrapping up a conversation with one of the presumed hired strangers about hors d'oeuvres and cake. _

"Was that a palm tree I just saw?" she wondered bemusedly.

_Both Elijah and Kol glanced at her; Kol gawking over her a little less politely than he should. _

"Good morning, Caroline," Elijah said with a smile, clearly trying to read her mood for any indication of how the remainder of the night had gone with Klaus.

"Morning," she replied, heading over to the kitchen cabinets.

"That was a palm tree you saw, darling," Kol beamed. "Since Klaus is an old man now and won't come to Vegas, I decided to bring Vegas to him," he proclaimed proudly.

_She smirked at the idea. Admittedly, the idea sounded fun. She didn't know how Klaus would react, but she was on board. _

_Kol smiled. _

"I think she actually likes the idea, 'lijah," Kol concluded.

_She sighed. _

"It could be fun," she relented as she opened one of the cabinets.

_Kol scowled. _

"It's going to be a party," kol said excitedly. "Speaking of Niklaus, where is he? You're supposed to be keeping him busy," he reminded her.

_She nodded. _

"I know," she said. " He's still sleeping. Distraction one: breakfast in bed. I just need to find pancake mix and a frying pan, and your fresh blood supply," she laughed.

_Kol eyed her with a wide and incredulous smile. _

"Why go through the trouble? You look good enough to eat," Kol remarked.

_Elijah's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. _

_She scoffed. _

"I'll be sure to tell Klaus you said so," she smirked.

_With that threat, Kol backed down. _

"I need to go discuss something with the party company," he said meekly. "Just keep Nik busy," he said, speeding out of the room.

"The cookware should be in the big drawers at the bottom of the island, and the mix should be in the pantry," Elijah instructed. "There's still some fresh blood in the fridge from earlier."

"Thanks," she said as she disappeared into the room of a pantry and located the mix.

_When she re-emerged, Elijah was sitting at the island, eyeing her with intrigue. _

"What?" she asked as she found the necessary cookware items she needed.

_Elijah shrugged with a smile. _

"Forgive me Caroline, sometimes your oddly conventional relationship with my brother still takes me by surprise," he mused.

"Which brother?" she joked

_He chuckled. _

"Both, I guess, but I was referring mainly to Niklaus," he clarified. "How are you feeling?" he asked as she began to rummage through the fridge for the blood and pancake ingredients.

"Good as new," she replied.

_She started to ready the ingredients for mixing on the kitchen island. _

"It must have been quite a surprise to see Niklaus in his wolf form last night," Elijah said.

_Her eyes widened. _

"More like terrifying at first," she exclaimed. "I didn't know it was him."

"But he obviously knew it was you," Elijah remarked.

_She nodded. _

"I don't know why he was so afraid of me being around him while he was in wolf form. I mean, for starters his blood is the antidote anyways, so if anything bad were to happen he could heal me. And last night he was more like a domestic dog," she mused. "I thought wolves were supposed to be vicious?"

_Elijah shrugged. _

"Not towards their mates," he explained.

_She swallowed hard as a dusty rose shaded her cheeks. _

_Elijah laughed. _

"As a wolf, Niklaus probably senses you as his mate – even though you aren't a wolf. His instinct is to protect you, not harm you," he clarified.

"Well Klaus wasn't aggressive towards Stefan and Stefan isn't his mate," she pointed out with an immature giggle.

_Elijah smirked. _

"Stefan wasn't a threat," he reasoned.

_She conceded his point as she prepared some fruit. _

"So Niklaus was okay yesterday evening after I left you two?" he inquired.

_Nodding, she poured the pancake mix into a bowl. _

"I expected him to be upset. I know a part of him was, but he held back this time," she revealed.

"Well he's learning from his mistakes then," he concluded.

_She agreed. _

"I think he understood that I had a rough night with Elena," she said as she stirred the contents of the bowl. "Elena's still having a hard time with her transition, and she and Stefan broke up, so I went to see her to try and talk, but she basically shut me down again," she explained.

_Elijah looked dismayed. _

"I'm sorry to hear that," Elijah offered. "I know you two were close."

_She turned one of the stove burners on with a sigh before readying the pan. _

"We were, but I'm done trying to recover our friendship when Elena doesn't even seem to care. She doesn't want to see past what Klaus did. She isn't interested in trying to understand how I feel about him. Oppositely, I've tried to be nothing but supportive of her," she said.

"Perhaps in time she will come around," Elijah suggested.

_She shrugged indifferently as she poured some mix into the pan. _

"Niklaus likes blueberries," Elijah said randomly.

_Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his comment. _

"In his pancakes," he laughed.

_She laughed too as a look of realization spread across her face, and she grabbed for the carton of blueberries. _

_Silence settled between them as she dropped the blueberries in and debated whether or not to tell Elijah about her decision to leave. _

"I told Klaus that I want to leave," she stated with her back towards Elijah as she faced the stove.

_An audible sigh of surprised escaped his lips. _

"As soon as we can," she muttered, turning back around as the first pancakes cooked.

"The hunter? The cure?" Elijah questioned.

_She frowned. _

"They aren't our problems," she retorted.

"And Niklaus has agreed to this?" Elijah wondered.

_She paused uneasily. _

"Not exactly," she said, flipping the pancakes over.

"I'm not sure Niklaus would be agreeable to leaving until the hunter has been dealt with, regardless if he has given up his quest for hybrids," Elijah said.

"I just don't want to be in Mystic Falls anymore," she confessed, as she removed the pancakes from the pan and poured some more mix with chocolate chips this time.

_Elijah nodded understandingly. _

"What about your other commitments?" Elijah mentioned.

_She eyed him quizzically. _

"Rebekah, and prom?" he reminded her.

_Elijah had a point. Prom had been a huge deal not just for her but for Rebekah. _

"I'm sure my sister could pull it off without you, but I get the impression that much of her enjoyment derives from spending time with you," he said, "even if she's not keen to admit it."

_She sighed at the thought of letting Rebekah down, especially given the progress she had made in getting along with Klaus's only sister. All of it would be ruined if she bailed. _

"Perhaps waiting until after prom like you originally agreed upon would be best?" Elijah recommended.

"I'll think about it," she conceded, assuming that Klaus had filled Elijah in on their previous arrangement.

_With a nod from Elijah she returned to the pancakes. _

"Speaking of Rebekah, have you seen her yet today?" she asked. "I'm curious to know last night went with Matt."

_Elijah shrugged. _

"I think she's still sleeping, which is why I should probably go find Kol and rein him in," Elijah chuckled as he stood up.

"I wouldn't worry too much," she said. "It seems like Kol has it under control. I think Klaus will like it," she said. "Would you like some pancakes?" she offered.

_He shook his head with an amused smile. _

"No thank you, Caroline. I already ate earlier," he explained. "Just try to keep Niklaus occupied today. If he's down here at all too long, we'll never have the place ready in time. He'll take over," Elijah laughed.

* * *

"Klaus," he heard a voice whisper.

_The voice repeated his name and he realized he was no longer dreaming. It was Caroline waking him. _

_He kept his eyes closed, stirring slightly when she pressed her lips against one of his ribs. _

_When she kissed his chest, he opened his eyes slowly, looking down to find her peering back up at him. _

_Bringing her head up, she kissed his lips lightly. _

"Happy birthday," she murmured before lifting herself up onto her knees.

_He smirked and proceeded to stretch; trying casually to pretend that he wasn't admiring the sight of her in his bed dressed only in a silk robe. _

"Indeed," he said. "It's already shaping up to be better than last year's."

_Admittedly, he couldn't remember last year's. _

_She smiled at him as he pushed himself up. _

"What time is it?" he wondered with a final yawn.

"It's almost ten," she told him.

_He was surprised he slept that long, but he had been exhausted last night; the transition, the kill, healing Caroline, their unfinished conversation about her desire to leave all had taken a toll on him. _

"I slept awhile," he concluded.

_She nodded._

_Soon, a sweet scent flooded his nostrils alongside the smell of blood. _

"Why do I smell pancakes?" he asked. "And blood?"

_She laughed, climbing off the bed, enabling him to see a tray sitting on the bench at the end of the bed. On the tray he noticed two plates of fruit and pancakes, as well as two glasses of blood. _

"Birthday pancakes," she said, bringing the tray onto the bed. "Every year on my birthday my dad used to make me breakfast in bed," she explained, nudging the tray towards him as he sat up on the other side.

"You made these?" he asked incredulously as he inspected his plate with a fork. "For me?"

_She nodded._

_No one had ever made him food like this before; well save for compelled wait staff. _

"Of course I did," she said, pouring some syrup over her portion. "Who else would I make them for? Well besides me," she laughed as she bit into the first piece.

_He shrugged breaking off a chunk of pancake with a fork. _

"Blueberries," he observed.

"Elijah helped with that part," she admitted.

_He smirked and took a bite. _

"Pretty good," he said with a mouthful.

_She nodded in agreement. _

_He looked at her pancake curiously. _

"Mine have chocolate chips," she said before taking another bite.

"I've never tried that before," he confessed.

_Her face seemed to brighten with his admission. _

"Oh my god, you have to try it," she exclaimed.

_Cutting off another piece of hers, she extended her fork towards him and he took the morsel readily into his mouth. _

_His eyes widened as a low groan escaped him. _

"That is probably sinful," he concluded.

"I know, right?" she laughed, taking another bite. "Thankfully vampires can't gain weight," she joked.

_She traded him one of her chocolate chip pancakes for one of his blueberry ones. _

"How in one-thousand years of life have I never tried that?" he asked.

_She shrugged. _

"Maybe it's a good thing," she pointed out. "It means there are still new things left to experience."

_He savoured another bite and considered her words before looking at her. _

"You're right," he admitted.

_In ways that went beyond just chocolate chip pancakes, he thought. _

_She seemed to get what he was implying and she lowered her head back to her food with a small smile. _

_Indeed, she was right. Truthfully over the past few decades he had often come to wonder what else there was left for him to live. His search for the doppelganger had proven futile time and time again and all his siblings had been in boxes save for Elijah whom he had been estranged from. He had nothing; but a simple twist of fate had changed all that. He now had chocolate-chip pancakes and a particular blonde vampire to lust after. _

"Are you fully healed?" he asked concerned, reminding himself of last night once more.

_She nodded and lifted the hem of her robe a little – no doubt with more sinister purposes in mind – to show him her bare thigh where the horrible wound had been. _

_While the sight of her exposed skin was momentarily distracting, he could not remove the sight of her as he found her in the woods. Of course, it had only been a close call, but again, he couldn't help but dwell upon the hypothetical; what if he had not been there? _

_Fate, he reminded himself. _

"All healed," she declared positively, reaching for one of the glasses of blood.

_Despite her optimism, he could tell last night with Elena was still weighing heavily on her mind. He wondered if she would bring up wanting to leave again. He really didn't want to be here anymore than Caroline did, but he wasn't sure abandoning the hunt for the cure was wise at this point. _

"So I know you and Stefan were out in the woods hunting yourselves last night, but how did you find me? Was it just a fluke?" she asked curiously. "Those woods are huge."

_He shrugged with a laugh, taking a sip of blood from his own glass. _

"I could smell you," he replied nonchalantly.

_Her face contorted. _

"Smell me?" she mused. "What did I smell like?"

"You have a particular scent. I could smell your blood, your sweat, your perfume, your fear, your hormones," he listed.

"My hormones?"

_He snickered. _

"Yes, love. Your sex hormones; quite the aphrodisiac for hybrid wolf apparently," he said.

_She blushed a little before covering her smirk with her glass. _

"Is that why you didn't hurt me, because you knew who I was?" she asked.

"I suppose so," he concluded.

"Why were you so afraid of transitioning in front of me then?" she wondered.

"I didn't know how I would react," he said plainly. "It was a precaution. Obviously I hadn't intended on running into you in the woods."

_She nodded, picking through the remainder of her breakfast as he followed suit. _

"You were pretty cute," she admitted playfully.

_He rolled his eyes. _

"But your slobber was gross," she laughed.

"Odd," he said. "You don't seem to mind my tongue on you any other time."

_She scoffed at his lewd remark. _

"Speaking of which, you have a bit of chocolate under your lip, love," he pointed out.

_Her tongue darted out to catch the evidence of her chocolate-chip pancakes but she missed and he jumped at the opportunity. _

"Allow me," he offered, leaning over the tray carefully before capturing her bottom lip between his.

_He sucked on her lip gently, tasting the chocolate as his tongue darted out against her skin. _

_She parted her mouth, surprising him with her own eager tongue. _

_When he deepened the kiss she pulled back. _

"If you lean any further over that tray, the whole thing is going to tip over," she warned. "I'm going to clean this up. How about you grab a shower?" she suggested.

_He pouted. _

"Will you join me?" he proposed.

_She shook her head. _

"I'm gonna clean this up, and then I'm going to get one of your presents ready," she stated.

_Normally her rejection would have disappointed him, but mention of a present intrigued him so he relented with a sigh as he climbed off the bed. _

_He took his time with the shower allowing himself the extra time as a minor gift to himself. _

_Despite his efforts not to, last night continued a looped replay in his mind. He had to hold back all urges to storm over to Elena's house and strangle that girl. The problems she had caused everyone, including him were endless. Somehow, though, he knew that despite their final falling out, Caroline would never stand for it. Ironically, however, Caroline's disintegrating friendship with Elena had raised the possibility of a mended relationship between himself and Stefan. _

_That thought took him back to their race through the woods and ultimately to an injured Caroline. He didn't recognize that wolf he killed. Knowing that it was dead was the only peace of mind he could take from the situation. Typically though, where there was one wolf there was always another. It unnerved him. _

_He supposed he could also derive peace of mind from the fact that he possessed some level of self control as a wolf; that he was able to protect Caroline rather than harm her. _

_Caroline's desire to leave crossed his mind once more. Sure, her impatient request made him nervous, but something more poignant was provoking the same emotion. "I just want us. I love you," her soft voice bellowed in his mind. While there was something comforting and impactful about what she said, those three small words made him terribly anxious. She had said it before but they affected him no less; they still made him feel light-headed. He had so much as confessed his love for her, but he had been unable to say those words, as though they were the final barriers protecting him from complete vulnerability; from making this real. It was pathetic really. He hated being scared of anything. _

_With his shower done, he dressed only in jeans and re-entered into his bedroom hoping his next birthday present was an eager Caroline, naked on his bed waiting for him to join her. _

_That wasn't the case, however. She emerged from his sitting room abruptly when he entered his bedroom, as though she had something to hide. _

"How was your shower?" she asked, quite enthusiastic to change the subject.

"Lonely," he said, half-jokingly, hoping to play off her guilt.

_He was about to question her suspicious behaviour when his ears caught the sound of commotion downstairs. _

"What's that noise?" he asked. "It sounds like an army has moved in..." he observed, suddenly growing concerned.

_It was no surprise that something was being planned for his birthday, but he didn't know what, and that's what put him on edge. With the thought of Kol's involvement his curiosity and panic only grew. _

"Nothing," Caroline said sweetly. "It's just party preparation."

"Did I just hear a hammer?" he said, upon discerning a banging noise. "If Kol puts any holes in these walls..." he started angrily as he tore for his bedroom doors.

_A speedy Caroline, however, blocked his way, standing in between him and the exit. _

"It's fine," she assured him. "Kol isn't going to do anything crazy. Rebekah and Elijah are keeping an eye on him," she explained.

_When he thought he heard a power tool, he reached past her for the door knob, but she grabbed his hand. _

_He growled under his breath. _

"I just want to see things for myself," he persisted.

_She shook her head with a smirk. _

"It's supposed to be somewhat of a surprise. Kol will kill me if I let you leave this room," she confessed.

_He shrugged off her unnecessary worry and tried once more for the door, only to have her flush against them. _

"I'm serious, love," he said.

"So am I. It's my job to keep you occupied," she mused.

_He arched his eyebrow and crossed his arms. _

"Well you're not doing a very good..."

_Before he could finish his criticism, her lips crashed against his. _

_Obviously he had spoken too soon. _

_Any sounds of power tools and hammers were drowned out of his mind by the taste of her still syrupy lips and her hands around his neck. _

_He explored her mouth a little further with his tongue while his hands wandered over the silky material covering her hips. _

_When she surprised him by roughly reversing their positions so that he was in between her and the doors, he didn't protest. He liked when she was aggressive with him. _

"Do you really think..."

_She cut him off with another kiss. _

"...you can seduce me all afternoon to prevent me from leaving?" he asked amusedly.

"I probably could," she said confidently as her hand traced over the flat of his chest. "But that's only part of the plan," she said mysteriously, before capturing his lips again.

_He groaned into her mouth as her body grinded against his. _

_His concerns about Kol faded further as her lips descended upon his neck, and one of her hands grazed over the bulge in his jeans, while the other combed over his scalp. _

_For a few moments he was so flustered by the attention, he forgot what to do with his own hands, but when he tried to pull the belt of her robe loose she slapped his hand away as she smirked against his skin. _

_Damn her, he thought. _

_That curse went out the window when she undid his pants and slipped a hand inside while her kisses moved lower. _

_He leaned back against the door in an effort to hold himself up as her soft hand traced the shaft of his pulsing hard on. _

_There was a part of him fighting this; a part of him that wanted to defy her and check on what mischief Kol was up to, but it was no match for the part that wanted to submit to her; who could never say no to her – especially not in a moment like this. _

_His siblings had been wise to appoint her as his distraction for the day. _

_He watched lustfully as she kneeled in front of him and tugged his jeans down his legs. _

_More blood rushed to his cock at the sight. _

_She looked up at him seductively while she stroked him lightly and teasingly. _

"Do you really care what Kol is doing right now?" she wondered before trailing kisses along his thighs.

_He laughed through a muffled sigh of pleasure, shaking his head in response to her question._

_She pumped him a little harder, her thumb sliding delicately over the head, already drawing out some of his pre-cum. _

_His mind was swimming with desire as she placed hot kisses along his shaft. _

_She was unbelievable, and just when he thought nothing could rival their tryst over his desk yesterday... _

_This is part of what he loved about her. No, not just her sexual prowess, or her amazing oral talents, but that she knew what he wanted; that she could surprise him; that things that had grown mundane felt new again with her. _

_Her tongue ran softly along the length of him before gently tracing itself over his head where her hand had once been. _

_With her hand holding him firmly at the base, he gasped when her moist lips followed her tongue's lead and wrapped around the aching tip of his manhood. _

_He groaned louder when her mouth began to completely envelop him._

_She took him in her mouth as far as she could until he could feel the back of her throat. _

_As her lips and tongue ascended, her hand followed along, stroking him tightly while her tongue swirled back around the tip. _

_He shoved his hands into her hair suddenly when she drew him quickly back into her mouth with a pleasurable sigh – the vibrations of her verbal expression driving him crazy. _

_He inhaled sharply when her free hand cupped and massaged his balls. _

_Clearly sucking him off was only part of the plan, because there was no way he could last the entire day with the relentless swirls of her tongue, curve of her lips and movements of her hands on him like this. _

_When she looked up at him he nearly came then and there. _

_He braced himself against the door, holding onto the door handle with as much concentration he could muster considering the beauty currently on her knees in front of him. _

_He had found another image just as alluring as her bent over his desk, he mused as he bit his lip. _

"Caroline," he hissed as she continued to stroke him with her mouth enthusiastically.

_She moaned against his sensitive skin in response. _

_His eyes fell closed as he lost himself further in the sensation of her lips gliding up and down his shaft while her tongue caressed the underside. _

_He was soon meeting her mouth with the slight thrust of his hips, eager to feel her hot mouth each time it left him. _

_His mind was a complete blank as his body began to sweat and tense in anticipation of his release. _

"I want you to cum for me, Klaus," she requested boldly, much like he had of her so many times.

_She stroked him faster with her hand. _

"Cum in my mouth," she demanded further.

_He groaned hard between closed lips at her naughty invitation. _

_Guiding her lips back to his aching member with his hand, he practically buckled over when the heat from her mouth consumed him once more. _

_She kept the stroke of her lips shallow, knowing he was close, while one of her hands stroked him at the base. _

"Yes..." he murmured as he felt his orgasm build further.

_Before he could warn her, it shot through him rapidly like a gun, nearly causing him to lose his balance as his legs and hips jerked with each euphoric pulse of his release into her mouth. _

_He moaned gratefully as he curled over her, one hand on her shoulder and the other on the back of her neck. _

_Her mouth didn't leave him until she was sure that he was spent entirely. _

_She pulled away, leaving him almost dumbfounded as he collapsed back against the door and struggled to recapture his breath. She smirked up at him as she wiped away some of the glistening evidence of his orgasm from the corners of her lips. _

_He pulled up his pants as she stood up in front of him. _

_He stared at her in awe for a few quick moments before reacting. At vampire speed he brought her to his bed, pushing her back, eager to repay the favour. _

_She had other ideas, however. Using her own vampire speed she flashed to the other side of his room before he even had a chance to pin her down. _

_Glancing from the empty spot on the mattress to her figure standing in the entrance of his sitting area he growled under his breath. _

"Don't I get any say in how my birthday plays out?" he smirked, walking around the bed, stalking towards her.

_She grinned and shook her head. _

"I have a present for you," she said.

"Wasn't that it, love?" he asked, jerking his head towards the doors she had just made him writhe against.

_She eyed him incredulously. _

"Come see," she urged, disappearing to the corner of the room, standing in front of a nearly flat wrapped rectangular shaped object on the floor propped against the fire place. In her hands she held a smaller wrapped box.

_As he approached curiously – and a bit excitedly – she handed him the wrapped box anxiously. _

"Open it," she urged.

_He mused at the childish paper she had selected to wrap his gifts in. The paper was blue with a variety of colourful zoo animals holding presents and cake with random messages of 'happy birthday' displayed over the print. _

_She suppressed a laugh as he inspected the paper and began to open it. _

_With the paper off, he examined the blank wooden rectangular box before opening it. _

_Contained within were two sets of Windsor & Newton paint brushes. _

"One set is hog, the other is..."

"Sable," he finished for her.

_She shrugged. _

"The guy at the art store said they would complement each other, so I bought them both," she admitted sheepishly.

"These are quite expensive brushes," he observed.

"I may have convinced my mom to let me dip into my dad's life insurance," she confessed.

_He closed the box. _

"You didn't have to..."

"Yes, I did. I wanted to," she told him flatly. "There's more," she said as she pulled out the flat rectangular object.

_Setting the brushes atop the mantle, he kneeled down in front of the strange gift. _

"Did you buy me a painting too?" he guessed as he started to peel the paper away.

"Not quite," she laughed.

_He was surprised to find a blank canvas staring back at him. He eyed her curiously. _

"This is the other part of the plan," she explained cryptically. "You said you wanted to paint me..."

_He glared between her and the canvas, a little shocked by her offer. Her insecurities had gotten the better of her when he mentioned it before. He never expected that she would actually come good on their little bet a few nights ago. This was a pleasant turn of events. _

"Are you sure?" he asked, standing up from the canvas.

* * *

_She nodded. _

"I want you to," she breathed a little nervously, "and not just to keep you busy this afternoon," she added.

_He smiled and she couldn't help but return the look. _

_This part of his her gift to him had gone over well, which was a relief. He seemed happy, and that put most of her nerves at ease. _

"This will take a while," he warned. "I doubt I'll finish it today."

"Well then let's start," she said more so to prevent herself from chickening out than to utilize their time productively.

_She glanced around the room anxiously. _

"Let me get the paints ready," he said.

"Should I...put on makeup or fix my hair?" she laughed, feeling stupid for asking.

_He shook his head with a smirk as he grabbed her chin. _

"I want you just like this," he told her, kissing her lips fleetingly before parting to prep his supplies.

_While he readied everything, she took the free moment to check her phone for any texts. She checked in with Stefan, deciding to pass along an invite to him for later tonight. He and Klaus had seemed to get along yesterday, plus she suspected he'd want to get out of the house again. _

_She also took the time to text her mom and check in with Rebekah to see how things were going with the party set up downstairs. According to Rebekah it was on track save for some bickering between her and Kol. She wanted to ask her about Matt, but decided to hold off, knowing she might not be able to respond. It was probably better to ask in person anyways. _

_There was still commotion to be heard downstairs, but Klaus seemed oblivious to it as he drew the drapes and turned on various lamps, clearly aiming for a particular kind of light. _

_She had to give herself a pat on the back for distracting him successfully, even if it meant driving her nerves crazy by posing in front of him. No, she wasn't concerned about being naked in front of him – obviously – she just didn't like the idea of him staring at her so long, discerning all her flaws and imperfections and then depicting them on canvas. _

"Are you ready?" he asked her, snapping her attention away from her phone.

_In addition to the jeans he had put on after his shower, he was also wearing an old black t-shirt that had obviously seen its fair share of paint. _

_She nodded. _

"Do you promise not to stare a lot?" she asked.

_He laughed. _

"I kind of have to in order to paint you," he explained.

_She sighed, knowing that answer was inevitable. _

"Where do you want me?" she asked hesitantly.

_He gestured over to the chaise. _

"Sit on your legs, facing the corner of the back and the arm," he instructed.

_She climbed into the piece of furniture, standing on her knees. _

_Taking a deep breath, she untied her robe and let it fall self-consciously before discarding it on the floor. _

_Luckily, as she was, she couldn't see his reaction from behind her. _

_She sat down on her legs, tucking her feet underneath her as he requested. _

"Like this?" she asked unsure.

"Look at me," he said.

_She glanced over her shoulder slightly to find him behind her. _

"Like that," he said as he approached her.

_He moved and bent her arms, ultimately resting her forearms across her thighs. _

"This will probably get uncomfortable, but I'll tell you when you can move," he told her.

_She nodded gratefully, knowing that her neck would be sore if she tried to hold it this way for any extended length of time. _

"I like music while I paint, do you mind?" he asked as he tended to his record collection.

_She shook her head, if anything the music would be a welcome distraction for her. _

"It's not Lady Gaga or anything," he warned, as he placed the record on the turntable.

_Shrugging, she smirked at the thought of Klaus listening to a song like Poker Face. _

"Otis Redding," he said simply as the sound of soul began to fill the room.

_He returned to his easel and the blank canvas she had made for him. _

_She stayed quiet for a few minutes, listening to the music that made her nostalgic for her grandfather, as Klaus started his work. _

_When he wasn't looking at her, she was looking fixedly at him, stunned by his serious concentration. He looked like he was in his element; this was more gratifying to him on a level beyond getting to paint a naked girl, she thought. _

"Why me?" she asked.

_He looked up from his paints. _

"Why paint me?" she clarified.

"I like depicting beauty," he stated nonchalantly.

_She scoffed in disbelief. _

"Is it hard for you to believe that I would wish to depict beauty, or that you would be the subject of that desire?" he questioned, making a few undecipherable brush strokes on the canvas.

_Her cheeks reddened, giving him his answer. _

"It's unfortunate that you cannot see yourself as I see you," he said. "You're stunning."

_She rolled her eyes, looking away from him. _

"Why did you have me pose this way?" she wondered.

_He shrugged. _

"Because it highlights all your best features; your hair, your face, the curve of your breast, the shape of your back and your bottom," he answered.

_She stopped trying to hide her embarrassment or protest his response and instead accepted it with a quiet smirk. _

"I invited Stefan tonight," she informed him, changing the subject.

_He nodded. _

"That doesn't bother you?" she wondered.

_He shrugged. _

"I don't mind Stefan apart from the doppelganger," he admitted.

"You two were close in the twenties..." she said as both a statement and a question.

_The second hand information she had heard from Elena about Klaus and Stefan's history was limited and based upon mostly second hand information Elena had received from Damon. _

"Not at first," he recalled. "I hated him, actually," he laughed.

_She laughed too, wondering how anyone could hate Stefan, until she thought about the kind of vampire Stefan was in the twenties. _

"Why?" she asked.

"He was pretentious and cocky," he answered.

"Sounds familiar," she smirked.

_He glared at her mischievously. _

"Not to mention the fact that he was all over Rebekah," he added.

_She had almost forgotten about Stefan's relationship with Rebekah. _

"So what changed?" she asked.

"Eventually his arrogant theatrics grew to amuse me and I came to find that he and I had a lot in common besides my sister," he explained.

_Troubled sibling relationships were the first thing she thought of on her own. _

"We were partners in crime for a while in Chicago until my father tracked Rebekah and me down," he retold.

_He hadn't really ever mentioned Mikael to her before. She wasn't about to press the subject, she knew it was a touchy one for him. The last thing she wanted to do was to drudge up painful memories about his childhood on his birthday. From what she knew about Mikael, he was a terrible man. _

"I compelled Stefan to forget us. It was easier that way. Dragging him with us would have made us more vulnerable...it would have put Stefan in danger," Klaus said as he continued painting.

"It was good of you to spend time with him last night," she offered.

_She could tell it made him uneasy to be associated with anything 'good,' but he nodded nonetheless. _

"It was another interesting trip down memory lane," he commented.

"I know you both haven't been on good terms lately, but I think Stefan probably appreciated the company," she said reassuringly.

"He always was the self-loathing broody type when left alone," Klaus observed.

_Their conversation almost made her forget that he was currently painting her nude form. _

_She quickly began sifting through other topics of discussion to occupy her mind from her self-consciousness. _

"So where were you before Chicago? Like during World War One?" she asked, finally finding the right time to ask him about his own experiences on the topic they had been discussing in class.

_He seemed interested in her question. _

"Canada," he replied.

"Canada?" she wondered, dumbfounded by his response.

"That's where I was before the war broke out," he said. "Rebekah and I were lying low. It's a big country; sparsely populated, lots of places to hide," he explained. "Since Canada was a Dominion of the British Empire at the time, when the U.K. declared war, Canada was automatically involved," he continued.

"Did you fight?" she asked.

"The premise of the war was ridiculous. I wanted no part in it, but it truly was a world event, and thus impossible to avoid. For able-bodied men like myself, at the time there was a lot of shame tied to ignoring your duty to serve your country if conscription hadn't already gotten to you. So, to conform with that and avoid my father, I joined the Canadian Corps as an official war artist, and Rebekah tagged along, joining the Canadian Medical Army Corps as a nurse," he revealed.

"Rebekah was a nurse?" she asked disbelievingly.

_He shrugged. _

"It was something she dabbled in. It's not something she really wanted to do, but it was the only way she could stay relatively close to me; communication wasn't as instant then as it is today," he explained.

"So what did you do?" she inquired.

"I accompanied divisions to various battles. I would stay a few yards back from the front-lines and sketch the scenes and photograph. I then used the photographs and sketches to produce larger paintings. A few of my pieces are in the Canadian War Museum," he stated. "My superiors were always impressed by how dangerously close I would get to the action for a photograph or sketch," he mused. "I was hit a few times with shrapnel and other shell fragments, but always managed to make it out."

_She gave him a knowing smile. _

"I thought you liked depicting beauty?" she wondered.

_He paused from his work to glance over at her. _

"There is a perverse beauty about war," he countered.

"Will you show me sometime? The paintings you did?" she asked interestedly.

_He nodded. _

"We should go in the winter; very picturesque, plenty of winter activities, and warm bodies," he joked.

_She scoffed at him with a tiny smirk as he returned his attention back to his latest work. _

"When the war ended in 1918, Rebekah and I returned to North America, settling in New York for a while before moving onto Chicago," Klaus continued.

"Where you and Rebekah met Stefan," she concluded.

"Indeed," he replied.

"Speaking of Rebekah, did you happen to see her last night when you were at the Grill?" she asked.

"I did. She was drooling pathetically over that human quarterback," he groaned.

"Hey, that 'human quarterback' is my friend," she pointed out.

"You used to date him," he smirked.

_She glared at him. _

"It was a part of the research I did," he said defensively.

"Well it was nothing. Things got too complicated once I was turned," she told him. "Anyways, did Rebekah seem happy?" she asked curiously.

"I suppose," he shrugged. "I can't figure out what she sees in him though," he said.

"Matt's a good guy," she replied, standing up for him. "You can't change how you feel," she added, purposely catching his eye.

"I don't want her to get hurt," he admitted.

_His blatant confession took her by surprise since it was not often he readily professed his affection for his siblings. While it was clear he cared for Rebekah, his revelation of worry for her cemented that. _

"I think that's a risk you have to take for happiness," she stated, watching how her words affected him.

* * *

_He avoided eye contact, preferring to remain focused on the painting, but she could tell what she said was ruminating in his mind. _

_After a few hours of posing with short breaks in between, she was uncomfortable and tired. _

_She fell back against the chaise with a loud huff, but Klaus was so immersed in the painting he hadn't even noticed her move. Obviously he no longer needed her to strictly hold her position. _

_Looking at the clock on the fireplace mantle she noticed that it was already late afternoon. _

"I'm bored," she whined.

_He still didn't turn to look at her. _

"Maybe we should take an extended break?" she said suggestively, hoping that would catch his attention.

_Truthfully, having him staring at her naked body all day wasn't exactly a mood inhibitor. In fact, she was still kind of reeling from what she thought had been her best blow job yet. She had had to suppress her own need for him for the sake of his birthday present and she didn't want to anymore. _

_His ears seemed to perk up at her suggestion and he looked over at her. Still, his hand never wavered from his paint brush. He hadn't even chastised her for moving. _

_She sighed. _

"Come on, we should probably start getting ready for your party soon anyways," she reasoned.

_He remained steadfastly focused on the painting. _

"I'll make it worth your while," she teased laughingly.

_He reacted slightly, the corner of his lips tugging into a small smile. _

"Please," she cooed sweetly. "I can't sit in one spot any longer."

"I'll be done in a bit," he said, still relatively unaffected by the charm she was trying to lay on him.

_She scowled and decided to resort to her own mischievous plan. _

"I can have fun without you," she declared mirthfully, as she let her hands wander over her thighs and up her torso towards her breasts.

_She tried to repress a giggle as she played her game. _

_But as time passed and he seemed virtually unresponsive to the sight of her fingers brushing over her nipples and in between her legs, she knew he had beaten her at her own scheme. _

_Either she would have to continue as though unfazed or she would have to physically prevent him from painting and demand that he have her. He was banking on the former based upon her stubbornness, she knew. He wanted her to touch herself in front of him. _

_Pervert, she thought with an inward laugh. _

_Knowing her actions were no longer for a joke, she grew self-conscious, but she was too headstrong to stop. Besides, her body was aching to be touched at this point, and if he wasn't going to give in to her, then she would give in to herself. _

_With her eyes closed, she pretended he wasn't standing feet away from her and she carried on with her actions, circling her nipples with her fingertips before bringing one hand to her core. _

_She was soaking wet at this point from a combination of her exhibitionism and delayed gratification. _

_No longer able to hear the swift strokes of his paint brush against the canvas, she could only assume that he had taken to the sight of her shuddering under her own touch. _

_As she swirled a finger around her swollen clit, she couldn't help but release a genuine whimper of satisfaction. _

_Her mind raced between thoughts of Klaus taking her over his desk yesterday, to the sight of his satiated face earlier. _

_She worked her sensitive nub a little faster with two fingers as she listed to his breathing grow shallow, matching her own. _

_Responding to her desire to be filled, she eagerly thrust her two fingers inside of herself. _

_The combination of her fingers and the flat of her palm moving rhythmically against her clit was driving her crazy and she wondered if he was going to let her reach her release all on her own. _

_Her thoughts were answered when she felt one of his hands on her knee. _

_She opened her eyes to find him almost panting down at her. She stopped her manual stimulation instantly. _

"I need you to move back," he said randomly.

_In her self-lust induced haze she jumped to conclusions assuming that he wanted her back in the position she was originally posed. _

_She was about to protest, until he pushed her back against the arm of the chaise and climbed in between her legs. _

_He kissed teasingly up her thighs, paying particular attention to the area where her wolf-bite wound had been. _

_She was already practically on the verge of exploding that she had to refrain from rudely pushing his lips exactly where she wanted them. _

_Her back arched as his tongue flicked out against the tingling flesh between her legs. _

_She was so sensitive that she almost backed away from him, but she soon adjusted to the feeling of his tongue drawing her into his mouth and concentrated on the pressure building in anticipation of her climax. _

"I'm so close," she said almost pleadingly as she curled her fingers tightly in his hair.

_And just as she felt ready to let go, there was a few knocks at Klaus's bedroom door. _

_Her concentration faltered as his movements stopped and she sighed in frustration and defeat. _

"Ignore it," he told her, returning his tongue to her centre.

_She gasped and tried as hard as she could to focus on the pleasure he was giving her. _

"Niklaus," she could hear Elijah's muffled voice say from the other side of the door.

_Knowing that Elijah could probably hear everything, she backed away from Klaus. _

"I can't," she groaned, sitting up.

_She picked up her robe and slipped it on as an annoyed Klaus responded to Elijah's interruption. _

_At least he had the decency to knock, unlike Kol. _

_Exasperated, she sat against the chaise and listened. _

"Dinner will be soon," Elijah informed Klaus.

_Klaus acknowledged him coldly and told him that they would be down in a while. _

_When the door was shut again, she was already on her feet. _

_Klaus returned with a pout. _

"We can't skip this, it's your birthday dinner," she said with a smirk. "I need to get ready," she said, kissing his cheek as she headed for the bathroom to do her hair and makeup.

_She was curling her hair neatly when a now shirtless Klaus emerged in the bathroom to get ready alongside her, brushing his teeth, fixing his hair, applying some hypnotic cologne. He was prepping to shave when she stopped him. She liked his stubble, even if she had a love/hate relationship with it. He acquiesced and she started on her makeup, ultimately deciding to darken her eyes and redden her lips. _

_For a few moments she had an out of body experience, musing at how domesticated this all was; them getting ready beside each other in his bathroom for his birthday. Just another surreal experience she could add to her list. _

_Klaus left almost as soon as he came and she found herself envious of the short amount of time it took for him to get ready. _

_With him gone, she slipped into the black lingerie she had intended to surprise him with, the main feature being the garter belt and stockings with small red bows. _

_As promised, she put on the black dress Klaus had purchased for her for their catastrophic hunter mission accompanied by a pair of black patent leather high heels and some diamond-like costume jewelry. _

_When she was ready, she grabbed the other present she had planned for Klaus from her bag._

_She found Klaus dressed in her favourite clothing combination of his; a black jacket and dress pants with a white collared shirt underneath. He was standing at the unfinished painting. _

"I hope you're not still painting," she said, breaking the silence in the room. "Elijah will never let you live it down if you get paint on your suit," she laughed.

_He gazed at her over his shoulder. _

"No, just plotting my next move," he informed her as she approached.

_She took time to admire his work having not had a chance to earlier. _

_It almost looked finished to her, but she could imagine to a professional like him it was far from it. _

_Regardless, it looked perfect to her. It definitely flattered her, she thought appreciatively. _

"It looks great," she stated.

"It could be my favourite," he admitted.

_She pushed him playfully. _

"You're biased," she retorted.

_He shrugged nonchalantly with a smirk as his lips pressed against her cheek and ear. _

"And you're beautiful," he sighed.

_Goosebumps crept over her shoulders and she fought against falling to hard into the moment. They had a dinner to get to. _

"Where will you put it when it's finished?" she wondered, not really interested in her naked body being put on display for everyone to see.

_Klaus seemed to understand what she was implying. _

"Perhaps the front foyer?" he mused.

_She glared at him and shook her head immediately. _

_He laughed at her jokingly. _

"Nah, this is for my eyes only," he stated.

_As she smiled, she recalled the other present for him she had in her hand. _

"Here," she said, handing him a small black bag with white tissue paper.

_He looked down in surprise. _

"Another gift?" he asked.

_She gave him an innocent look and urged him to open it. _

_He set the bag down on the side table and pulled out a small book made out of coloured construction paper and an envelope. He eyed the book quizzically as he inspected the scribbled children's drawing on the front. _

"The Places I Will Go, by Caroline Forbes," he read aloud, looking up at her with intrigue as he sat against the arm of a chair. "What is this?" he asked. "Were you intoxicated when you wrote this?" he laughed jokingly.

_She gave him another playful shove. _

"I was like eight years old when I made this," she said defensively. "My mom has literally kept every piece of school work I've ever done. It was part of a unit we did in elementary school in conjunction with Dr. Seuss's book, 'Oh, the Places You'll Go!' We had to make our own stories about the places we wanted to go. I thought of it when we talked about where we would go when we left Mystic Falls. Maybe my eight-year-old self could help us," she laughed. "Just read it."

_He laughed as he opened the book and began reading her messy printing and almost illegible spelling. Among her childhood dream destinations were Disney World, the San Diego Zoo, the Hollywood sign, the Statue of Liberty, the White House, Africa – no country was specified, and England to visit the Spice Girls. _

"I want to go to China, because that's where most of my toys come from," Klaus read aloud, erupting into a fit of laughter at her childhood naivety.

_She laughed too. _

"My eight-year old self didn't have a filter for political incorrectness, sorry," she mused. "I thought China was one big toy store."

"It's cute, love. I'm sure you're teacher had a good laugh at this too," he commented. "If you want to go to a sweatshop in China, I suppose it could be arranged," he said feigning seriousness.

_She shook her head. _

_He turned his attention towards the envelope and opened it. _

"Plane tickets," he observed. "New York City."

"Tickets to New York were about the only ones I could afford," she admitted.

_A smile emerged on his face. _

"For after prom," he noted. "I thought you wanted to leave as soon as possible?" he questioned.

_She shrugged. _

"I booked these yesterday before my blow up with Elena. Besides, Elijah kind of reminded me I have commitments to your sister, and I don't want to let her down," she explained. "I want to stick to our original agreement," she added.

"The cure will still need to be dealt with if it hasn't by then," he reminded her hesitantly. "Not even for Elena, but for our safety."

"I know," she nodded. "The trip to New York isn't permanent; we can come back. It's just some time away, for us to be alone."

_He set the tickets and the book down on the table alongside the bag and grabbed her hand. _

_Seemingly ready to say something, he faltered as he opened his mouth. _

"I love it," he expressed, kissing the back of her hand. "Thank you."

_She sighed almost wanting for something more, but smiled nonetheless. _

"Happy birthday," she repeated. "The rest of the trip is on you though. I know nothing about New York," she chuckled.

_He nodded with a smile as he stood up and kissed her lips lightly. _

"I have one more gift for you," she informed him as she broke their embrace.

"Another?" he asked surprised.

_She smirked as she grabbed his hand and placed it along her leg, sneaking it under the hem of her skirt so he could feel the lacy tops of her stockings and the garter straps. _

_A devious grin appeared on his lips as she pushed his hand away. _

"You have to wait until later to open it," she smirked.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah so I shamelessly plugged my own country in my fan-fiction, what of it? It was easier for me to write about Canada during the time they talked about because I know more about it and it saved research time. **

**Also, I hope you enjoyed the presents Caroline got for Klaus...**

**Expect another update shortly. **


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Hey again! I'm so thrilled with the response to the first part, so here's the second installment. There isn't as much Klaroline in this chapter, because I tried to incorporate all the characters as much as I could, so expect Caroline to have interaction with a variety of them. **

**Expect the third part soon, I just have some editing/polishing left to do. I'm still kind of debating the ending.  
**

**Please feel free to drop me a review in the meantime :D**

* * *

_As she descended the stairs, she was stunned by the transformation done to the large front foyer. Detailed and tall cardboard cut-outs of the Vegas strip lined both stairwells with the infamous Las Vegas welcome sign as one of the focal points. Multiple fake palm trees were littered about the room and spotlights were strategically placed to set the mood. Balloons in red, black, and gold hinted at the birthday aspect of the festivities and tables decorated in similar colours were set up to accommodate the hors d'oeuvres for later. Most importantly the large room featured a variety of casino table games and slot machines. _

"This is amazing," she exclaimed to Klaus behind her as she decided to take a peek into the usually empty ballroom.

_More palm trees and depictions of the Vegas strip carried on into the room, along with hundreds more balloons. Reds, blacks, golds, and whites were used to decorate the room. It didn't even look like the same room. It was purposed as a bar and dance floor; she noted the bar at one end of the room and the DJ booth at the other. Couches, chairs and tables were located around the bar and served as a natural division between the two. _

"Isn't it great?" she beamed as Klaus took in the decorations.

_He seemed a little overwhelmed, probably concerned about any damage that was done setting up, or damage that would be done taking it all down._

"Its gonna be fun," she encouraged, tugging on his arm.

_She could only dream to have a birthday party like this. It made her all the more excited to see what her and Rebekah's plans for from would look like. _

"I think you're right," he acknowledged.

"Of course it's going to be fun, once we get the family dinner out of the way and all the compelled party guests show up," Kol said excitedly from behind them. "Don't worry, they're no one from around here."

_Both she and Klaus turned to acknowledge Kol. _

"Don't you know how to dress for a Las Vegas party," Kol remarked as he gave her a notorious once-over. "Are you sure you've never left Mystic Falls?" he asked.

_She blushed as she heard Klaus growl under his breath. _

"Never," she answered. "You look good too, Kol," she said, trying to be polite.

_It garnered a divisive glare from Klaus and a stunned reaction from Kol. _

"A compliment?" he asked surprised as he spun around slowly to show off his all black suit. "This was just something I had lying around," he said feigning modesty.

"The decorations and everything look amazing too," she relented.

_Again, Kol's eyes widened as he looked amusedly between her and Klaus. _

"Two compliments. I am on a roll with your girl tonight, brother," Kol said. "If there's one thing I know how to do darling, its party," he winked.

"Enough, Kol," Klaus said sternly.

_She nudged Klaus in the side, hoping he would take the hint as she glared at him. _

"It looks good," Klaus finally acknowledged.

_Kol smiled. It was obvious Klaus's approval is what he had really been after. _

"Anything for my big brother," Kol said jokingly as he patted an uncomfortable Klaus on the back. "Happy birthday, mate."

_She followed them with a grin as Kol kept his arm around Klaus's back as they headed for the dining room. _

_Both Elijah and Rebekah stood up from their seats when the three of them entered. Elijah was dressed in a charcoal grey suit with a black collared shirt, while Rebekah was wearing a beautiful muted gold strapless taffeta party dress. _

"Happy birthday, Nik," Rebekah said happily as she hugged him. "What did you think of the decorations?" she asked impatiently.

"They're perfect," he said.

_She noticed the warmer way in which he spoke and embraced Rebekah over Kol. _

"Happy birthday, Niklaus," Elijah said with a nod to Klaus from across the table.

_While the gesture between Klaus and Elijah was more detached, it was no less cordial. Even from the small exchange, it was obvious there was a deep understanding and respect that connected the two brothers. Klaus revered Elijah and vice versa. _

_She almost felt awkward being here, like she was crashing a private family moment between Klaus and his siblings. _

_Noting the gifts in the corner of the room in an effort to ease her mind as Klaus moved to talk with Elijah and Kol, she was startled by Rebekah's approach. _

"Elijah told me what happened last night," Rebekah said. "Are you all right?" she asked.

_She nodded. _

"Yeah, it was just a close call," she replied.

"And Elena?" Rebekah asked.

_Rebekah's inquiry made her wonder if Elijah had mentioned about her wanting to leave before prom. _

"I'm done worrying about her," she shrugged. "It isn't worth it."

_A satisfied smile grew on Rebekah's lips. _

"Good, I'm glad you see that," Rebekah responded. "Oh, and I spoke to Adrian today, he said he's started working on your dress," she mentioned excitedly. "He's going to send me some pictures of the progress tomorrow."

"That's great," she replied.

_Elijah hadn't said anything to Rebekah. That was a good thing. Staying until prom was the right thing to do. She didn't want to disappoint Rebekah when she was clearly looking forward to the event. _

_At some point she had formed somewhat of a friendship with Rebekah. She could no longer let Klaus's sister down without a guilty conscience. _

"Everything looks wonderful," she complimented Rebekah.

"It was hell dealing with Kol all day," Rebekah scoffed. "But it came together. I think prom is going to be even better than this," she foretold.

_She nodded happily and tried to put herself back in the mindset of prom anticipation. _

_While it wasn't the best time with an impending dinner, thoughts of Rebekah's meeting with Matt made her all the more curious. It was an obvious topic of conversation, one that she felt rude for bringing up, but equally rude for not mentioning. _

_Before she could say anything, the caterers emerged in the dining room with the carts of prepared food and drinks. _

"Let's eat," Kol declared. "And drink," he mused, grabbing a wine bottle off one of the carts out of turn.

_Thankfully, Klaus grabbed her hand discreetly and directed her where to sit by pulling out a chair for her adjacent to his head of the table spot. _

_She sat down as Klaus did and Rebekah sat beside her while Elijah and Kol sat across from them. _

_Her eyes widened at the place setting before her. There was a charger plate with two forks to her left, two knives on the right along with a spoon and smaller fork, a spoon and fork above her plate, a small plate and butter knife on the left beside that, and five glasses of varying sizes on her right. She was overwhelmed. She knew it was for a multi-course dinner, but Miss Mystic Falls' contestants and winners weren't provided with free meal etiquette training as specialized as this. _

_She followed Rebekah's lead and covered her lap with the napkin provided on her plate as Kol unscrewed the cork from the wine bottle. _

_This kind of dinner service must have been a walk in the park to them. _

_From the outside in, she said to herself as she eyed the utensils on both sides of her plate. _

_She watched as the server filled a particular glass at Klaus's place setting with the white wine before turning to Elijah, Kol, and Rebekah and then finally coming to her. _

"Sauvignon Blanc?" the older male waiter asked from her right.

_She nodded, not really sure it was polite to refuse. She wasn't much of a wine drinker. He filled the same glass at her place setting, before moving to Klaus's other siblings. _

_A younger female server was also coming around the table and filling a particular glass with water; apparently each of her five glasses had a specific purpose. She groaned inwardly. _

_With the drinks served, the staff brought out the first course. _

_Elijah stood from the table with his wine glass. _

"Before we eat, I just wanted to toast to Niklaus on his thousandth birthday; to new beginnings, and new relationships," Elijah spoke, eyeing her at the last part of his toast.

_Klaus nodded towards Elijah, tipping his glass towards him before glancing over at her briefly. _

_She grabbed her wine glass and raised it in acknowledgement before taking a sip. _

_Klaus was served his plate first, followed by her and the rest of his siblings; the appetizer was oysters and warm bread. _

_She glared at the plate of oysters with a cut lemon in the middle. _

_Her stomach turned at the prospect of the slimy food. While she didn't mind seafood she had never eaten oysters before in her life. _

_She supposed if she could dissect a pig fetus with little protest from her easily upset stomach, then she could swallow a few oysters. _

_Klaus leaned into her with an oyster in hand and a knowing smirk on his face. _

"Do you like oysters?" he asked.

"I've never eaten them before," she shrugged quietly.

_He picked up the tiny fork on his right and detached the oyster from its shell before garnishing it with the lemon. _

"They're delicious," he said, bringing the shell to his lips and slurping down the oyster.

_She scrunched her eyes slightly as she turned to her own plate and picked up one of the shells. _

_Using her own fork to detach the oyster, she let the oyster slide into her mouth, taking a few bites of the oddly textured food. _

_She didn't know what to think, but quickly grabbed for her wine. _

_Everyone was staring at her with amused expressions and her face went red. Rebekah and Kol were giggling and both Klaus and Elijah were holding back the urge to do the same. _

"Why is everyone staring at me?" she complained, laughing embarrassingly.

"What's the verdict?" Kol asked.

"They're all right," she sighed.

_Elijah smirked. _

"They're an acquired taste, Caroline," Elijah offered in her defense.

"Try it with lemon," Rebekah advised.

"And more wine," Kol piped up.

_She heeded their advice, but could eventually only finish half of her plate, preferring to eat the bread that was set upon the small plate to her left. _

_Resting her fork on her plate, she took a few more eager sips of wine. _

_When everyone else was finished the server came to collect their dishes. _

_The next course was more to her taste. Clam chowder was served along with a different kind of white wine; Chardonnay she thought she heard the server say. _

_Once that course was completed, she was relieved to only see two sets of forks and knives left on either side of her plate. _

_A garden salad was served next. _

_With Klaus and Elijah engaged in a conversation about some business investments and Kol flirting shamelessly with the female server, she thought it would be a good time to bring up Matt to Rebekah. _

"How did last night go?" she asked lowly, in hopes their conversation would be disregarded by Rebekah's siblings.

_She noticed a small smile appear on Rebekah's lips from the corner of her eye. _

"It didn't go badly," Rebekah conceded, before eating some more salad. "He heard me out. I apologized and explained myself. He seemed understanding. He wasn't opposed to seeing me again," she revealed.

_Again, she never pictured she would be encouraging Matt and Rebekah, but she found herself smiling in lieu of Rebekah's progress. _

"I invited him here tonight," Rebekah admitted.

- "Who did you invite, sister?" Kol interjected.

_Rebekah shot Kol a narrow gaze. _

"Matthew Donovan," Klaus informed Kol.

_Kol's face turned sour before he burst into laughter. _

"Isn't he the same bloke you enlisted me to kill at mother's ball? The same bloke whose hand I busted up?" Kol wondered.

_She glared at both Rebekah and Kol, unaware of their past plot behind Matt's injury. _

"The same one she ran off Wickery Bridge with the doppelganger after she thought I was dead," Klaus confirmed.

_Kol shook his head. _

"You just can't let this boy go, can you little sister?" Kol said judgementally. "I'm sure he's really going to forgive you for nearly killing him," he laughed sarcastically.

"Shut up, Kol," Rebekah hissed.

"Kol," Elijah warned.

"She bought him a new truck and made several pleas for understanding already," Klaus informed Kol, only instigating him further.

_Kol and Klaus were a lot more alike than she first thought. _

"Really? Why go through all the trouble for some pathetic mortal?" Kol questioned Rebekah.

_Klaus nodded in agreement. _

_The combination of that and Rebekah's hurt expression spurred her to speak. _

"Maybe because Matt is a great guy," she countered defensively. "And maybe because Rebekah likes him. Does she really need to explain herself?"

_Wow, did she really just say that as sternly as she thought she did? It had to be the alcohol that was fuelling her confidence. _

_All of Klaus and his siblings stared at her intently. Klaus seemed amused. _

_The fire in Kol's eyes seemed to suggest that she had only encouraged him further. _

"Leave it alone, Kol," Elijah warned.

"Maybe we should discuss why Niklaus is so enamoured with you," Kol suggested to her.

_She dug her fork hard into her salad. _

"Stop," Rebekah said.

"Hmm?" Kol pressed.

"Enough!" Klaus's voice erupted throughout the dining room.

_Everyone in the room went frigid and Kol dropped into a stoic but contemplative silence for the remainder of the course. _

_The main course was salmon – seafood she could handle – and asparagus. Pinot Noir was added to the wine menu this time and she requested some simply for the amusement of seeing three of her five glasses being used. _

"Caroline, did you end up selecting a prom dress yesterday?" Elijah asked casually, trying to break the stifled atmosphere.

_She smiled and nodded. _

"I did. Adrian had some beautiful designs," she admitted.

"Caroline's was the best out of all of them though," Rebekah added.

"I think so," she agreed, trying to recall in her head the design.

"Who's going to escort you?" Kol asked. "Klaus as your date might be a little inappropriate, don't you think?" he mused, walking a thin line after his earlier comments.

_She shrugged. _

"I was just gonna ask someone to be my stand in," she admitted, still a little disappointed by the reality that Klaus would not be by her side the entire night.

_However, she found the prospect of sneaking around with him behind the scenes enticing. _

_Klaus glared over at her, obviously taken aback by her revelation. _

"Who?" Klaus asked, clearly out of jealous interest.

"I would be happy to escort you," Kol announced.

_She gave him a polite smile. _

"Well since it appears as though Stefan will be dateless, I was thinking of him," she stated, avoiding Klaus's stare.

"I'm sure Stefan would like that," Rebekah chimed in.

_Nodding, she looked over to Klaus who seemed disappointed. He shrugged dismissively as though if she had to pick someone, Stefan would be the only one acceptable – and even Stefan was pushing it. _

"And let me guess, Bekah, you're pining for Matt to take you?" Kol mused.

_Rebekah shot Kol a look and any further bickering about Matt ended there. _

"I must admit, having prom here is a great idea. The high school girls will literally be flocking to me," Kol beamed with enthusiasm.

_She rolled her eyes with a small smirk, while Rebekah extended her glare. _

"Don't worry, sister, I'll be on my best behaviour. I promise," Kol assured her innocently.

"I think you flatter yourself," Klaus joked.

"Indeed," Elijah laughed

_Kol narrowed his eyes at his brothers' mockery. _

_With the main course finished, the final course was dessert; vanilla and chocolate ice cream with diced strawberries, served with champagne. Now four of her glasses had some sort of liquid in them. _

_She was so full at this point, she didn't think she could eat anymore, but the sweet smells were too hard for her to resist. _

"We have birthday cake for later," Elijah explained as the server handed out their dessert dishes.

"The cake is amazing," Rebekah informed her and Klaus.

_Humorously, she wondered to herself if there would be one thousand candles atop the cake. _

_When she finished her dessert, she had to fight the urge to slouch or change out of the tight dress altogether. The food and alcohol made her feel lethargic. _

"I think all the decorations came together nicely," Elijah conceded. "Both of you did a good job," he said to Rebekah and Kol.

"Yeah they seemed to put their quarreling aside long enough," Klaus observed.

"Well we have to thank you Elijah for planning dinner. It's always too formal for my taste, but I can't have fun on an empty stomach," Kol laughed. "Perfect timing," he added, as a server emerged with what she could instantly recognize as a decanter of fresh human blood.

_Elijah nodded to Kol as they waited for the final small glass at their places to be filled. _

"Normally the glass is used for Sherry," Klaus said to her, "but we improvise."

_He took his glass and raised it to his lips and she followed suit once the server reached her. _

_She savoured the blood on her tongue and drank some more, not realizing how thirsty she really was. Perhaps her body was still recuperating from the wolf incident yesterday. Maybe it was the alcohol and food she consumed diluting the remaining blood in her system. _

"We should also probably thank Caroline too, since her charms obviously kept Niklaus occupied long enough for us to put it all together," Kol chuckled. "Dare I ask what it is you two did for hours?" he inquired.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she joked boldly.

_Klaus shot her a disapproving look. _

"Actually, I would," Kol replied, leaning back in his chair with his glass of blood.  
_The alcohol was making her feel brave, and she actually considered divulging all the explicit details of her afternoon with Klaus just to see the look on Kol's face.  
_

"Well I wouldn't," Rebekah scowled.

"I gave Klaus his birthday presents," she shrugged, smirking at Kol's jaw-dropped reaction.

"Birthday presents, hmm?" Kol wondered, obviously incorrectly assuming there was a sexual innuendo where there was none.

_Well...technically she and Klaus had indulged in each other a little throughout the afternoon, but she didn't consider those birthday presents. _

"She bought me new paint brushes and had a canvas stretcher frame constructed for me," Klaus informed them.

_Kol's anticipation was instantly deflated and she laughed under her breath. _

"So you painted all afternoon?" Kol wondered disappointedly.

_Klaus smirked at her. _

"Oh god," Rebekah groaned. "He's painting you, isn't he?" Rebekah concluded looking at her.

_Kol's expression perked up. _

"Naked?" Kol wondered.

_She blushed as Klaus warned Kol that it was none of his business. _

"Definitely naked," Kol said with a mischievous grin.

_Elijah clasped his hands together uncomfortably. _

"Perhaps we should give Niklaus our gifts?" Elijah suggested.

_The idea seemed to distract Kol, as he shot up from his seat and went for one of the wrapped gifts on the table in the corner. _

"Mine first," he declared, placing the large rectangular box in Klaus's lap.

_Klaus looked it over suspiciously, as though he anticipated it to be some sort of gag gift. _

"This gift is no joke, Nik, open it," Kol urged.

_With that, Klaus tore through the paper and removed the lid off the box. _

_Inside were stacks of cash. _

_Klaus looked up at Kol questioningly. _

"How original, Kol; money on my birthday," Klaus mused.

"It's a Vegas-themed party, brother. You need cash to play with," Kol explained. "And we're the house, so we need money in the event anyone else actually wins," he added.

"You compelled people to gamble their money?" she asked.

_Kol snickered. _

"Not exactly," he answered. "I just compelled them to have a good time."

_She frowned at his loophole discovery. How else were people at a Vegas-themed party going to have a good time? She wasn't even about to question the legality of it. _

_Klaus shrugged at Kol with a devious smirk. _

"I suppose you think you can win all this money back from me?" Klaus said to Kol.

_Kol patted him on the back. _

"I was always better at card games than you," Kol reminded him.

"We'll see," Klaus warned.

_Rebekah the stood from her chair and lifted her gift towards Klaus. _

_Klaus seemed to know what it was right away without opening it, based upon the awkward shape of the framed painting. _

_He unwrapped the present eagerly, and his eyes went wide and his smile went wider. _

"_The Stoning of Saint Stephen_," Klaus observed in awe. "I won't even ask how you got this out of the museum in Lyon," he said as he scanned the painting.  
_Rebekah grinned proudly.  
_

"That's probably a good idea," Elijah advised, as he stood up to examine the painting himself.

"This is one of Rembrandt's first paintings," Klaus said.

_She smiled at his excitement. _

"Thank you, Rebekah," Klaus said, standing to give her a slight hug. "I should lock this in my study in case any party guests get any ideas," Klaus said as he placed the painting against the dining room wall. "I'm sure Stefan will find this amusing," he laughed.

_She laughed too, instantly picking up on the joke. _

_The last gift was from Elijah. It was smaller than the others, and judging by the flat square shape, she instantly concluded that it was a record of some sort. _

_He uncovered the gift and again, his eyes went wide. _

"I am definitely not going to ask how you got a hold of this, brother," Klaus said admiringly as he examined the record.

_She recognized the faces of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. _

"Is this _the _one?" Klaus asked.

_Elijah nodded. _

"It's the album John Lennon signed for Mark David Chapman several hours before Chapman shot him," Elijah clarified.

"This is amazing," Klaus concluded as he handled the well-protected album delicately. "I've been trying to track down the person who bought it when it was last sold."

"I suppose I beat you to it," Elijah shrugged.

"You did," Klaus conceded, still looking at the album.

_Suddenly, they heard heavy bass coming from the ballroom. _

"That must be the DJ," Kol concluded. "I suppose the guests are arriving. That means it's time to get drunk," Kol announced.

_Admittedly, she was already feeling light headed from the blood and wine. _

"We should probably go out there and make an appearance," Elijah suggested, doing up the buttons on his suit jacket.

"..and check to make sure the final details are in order," Rebekah added.

_Kol was already out of the room before Rebekah could finish her sentence. _

"I'll be out in a minute. I want to put these gifts away," Klaus said to Rebekah and Elijah.

_She offered to stay behind and help._

* * *

_As they entered his study, she caught a brief glimpse of her scratch marks in his desk, the sight of which made her quiver as she set the box and record over top. _

_Klaus stored the painting behind his desk. _

_As she leaned against the desk and scanned over the gifts from his siblings, she almost felt like the ones she had given him were inadequate. _

_Opening the box of money, he removed a few stacks. He tossed her one and she caught it reluctantly. _

_She looked at him bewildered. _

"It's for tonight. Try not to lose," he joked.

"I don't gamble," she shrugged. "I will lose all of this," she admitted.

_He smirked at her as he rounded the desk for her. _

"Whether you double it or lose it all is of no consequence to me, sweetheart," he said as he placed his money in the inside pocket of his jacket. "I just want you to enjoy yourself."

_She nodded hesitantly as she thumbed through the stack of hundreds. Never had she ever seen so much money up close or held it in her hands. _

"You're spoiled," she teased as he placed his hands on either side of her on the desk, pinning her in place.

"I am, but only because you spoil me," he said before kissing the underside of her jaw.

"Compared to what your siblings got you, I definitely didn't spoil you," she disagreed self-consciously.

_He shook his head as he placed another kiss on her cheek. _

"That's debatable," he protested, kissing her lips.

_She scoffed as he broke their embrace. _

"As much as I'd rather stay in here and have at you on this desk once more, I'd rather not be interrupted by Elijah again," he said as he extended his arm to her. "Let's go find ourselves a drink," he stated as she linked her arm with his in agreement.

* * *

_When they entered the front foyer, she was surprised to see it filled with people – all looking like they were having a good time, thanks to Kol. _

_As they weaved through the people, some nodded to Klaus and a few more even wished him a happy birthday. It was strange. She was sure he knew none of these people. She didn't know them either. While awkward, it was also refreshing. None of these people had expectations of her or Klaus. They could just be...together. They were anonymous really. _

_Before another thought even entered her mind a familiar voice was calling after them from the front entrance. _

_She turned to see Stefan approaching them. _

"Stefan, hi," she greeted.

_Stefan nodded towards them both, as though he was a little apprehensive and out of his element. He had been in a relationship with Elena for a while if you kept track of time in teenage human years. It was probably awkward for him to be alone – especially when Elena was likely with Damon somewhere. _

"Happy birthday, Klaus," Stefan said politely.

_Klaus seemed genuinely pleased to see Stefan._

"It was good of you to come, mate," Klaus said. "Caroline and I were just about to grab a drink, join us," he urged Stefan more as a demand than a request.

_She smiled at Stefan encouragingly and fell back with Stefan as they followed Klaus. _

_When they entered the large ballroom, the dance music playing in the far corner accentuated the Vegas ambiance that Kol was aiming for. _

_At the bar, all three of Klaus's siblings seemed to be there waiting for them. _

_Everyone greeted Stefan before Kol pushed a tray of shots in front of them. _

"Shots all around," Kol announced.

_The bartender had obviously been compelled to serve those of them who were underage or appeared to be. _

_She reluctantly took one as did Stefan and the rest of Klaus's siblings. _

_Everyone seemed to down their shot effortlessly – even Elijah, who she never pegged as a shot taker - but she struggled, wondering if Kol had simply given her straight vodka. It was disgusting. _

_She coughed a little and wiped the dribble off her lips as she desperately ordered a fruity drink from the bartender to chase the foul taste down. _

"That was disgusting," she muttered to Stefan who was leaning against the bar beside her. "I'm sure you needed that though," she added, noting Stefan's distant expression.

_She watched as Rebekah seemed to compel one of the party guests before handing him a camera. _

"Let's take pictures. Before everyone gets too sloshed," she announced.

_Kol and Klaus protested but they were no match for Rebekah's insistence. _

_There was a group shot that included Klaus and his siblings, along with her and Stefan, while another shot was just of Klaus with his siblings. Rebekah took a few with just Klaus and then Klaus with Kol and Elijah, before she pushed Klaus in her direction. _

"Nik, I want a picture of you with Caroline," Rebekah said.

_Klaus was reluctant at first, but succumbed to Rebekah's demand and leaned in and put his arm around her waist. This was the first photo taken of them together, she realized. She would make a point of asking Rebekah to see it later. _

_After a few more photos were taken, Kol cajoled Klaus into taking another shot, before Rebekah dragged him off somewhere – likely to show off the work that went into putting this all together. _

_Returning to Stefan, she gave him a faint smile. _

"I'm glad you came," she said.

"I needed to get out of the boarding house. Damon and I got in a fight last night after I got home...and Elena is there now," Stefan explained.

_She nodded. _

"Well it's an open bar. Feel free to drink as much as you like," she offered before sipping gratefully from her mixed drink.

_Stefan chuckled before adhering to her suggestion and ordering himself a drink. _

"I'm sorry I couldn't get through to Elena last night," she apologized. "She was still really defensive; she just didn't want to listen to anything I had to say."

"It's okay," Stefan said. "I knew there was a chance she would react that way. I appreciate you trying though. I'm sure it wasn't easy," he acknowledged.

_Before should talk further about Elena or even bring up the topic of prom, Rebekah returned with Klaus.  
_

"Come on, Caroline, let's go dance. I love this song," Rebekah urged as she tugged on her arm.

_She looked between Stefan and Klaus. They both shrugged as she was led to the dance floor by Rebekah. _

_It's not that she was opposed to dancing, in fact, she was just buzzed enough that she could dance freely without the nagging suspicion that she was making a total fool out of herself, but she was worried about Stefan and taken aback by Rebekah's overtly friendly behaviour. Perhaps Rebekah was buzzed as well. _

_Seeing Klaus with Stefan made her relax a little bit and she let herself begin to move to the beat of the song, careful to keep her drink upright as Rebekah danced enthusiastically in front of her. _

"This is so much fun," Rebekah shouted over the music.

_Yes, Rebekah was also buzzed like she was – if not more. _

_She laughed and nodded in agreement as Rebekah's infectious excitement began to rub off on her. _

_Tonight was about fun. She could afford to forget about all the problems facing them for one night. She could even let her complicated relationship with Rebekah resolve itself for the night she thought, as Rebekah grabbed her hand and tried to spin her. _

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually glad you're here," Rebekah said.

_She arched an eyebrow at Rebekah's backhanded effort to be nice. _

"I mean, who would I have to dance with if it was just me and my brothers? Nik and Elijah hate this kind of dancing, and Kol will only make an effort if it's with a woman he wants to lure into bed," Rebekah explained laughingly. "You're fun."

"Thanks?" she said with amused uncertainty, still unsure about this latest side of Klaus's sister.

"You're good for him too," Rebekah started. "Nik," she clarified, glancing over at Klaus and Stefan.

_She followed suit and noticed him staring in her direction. She smiled briefly at him before turning back anxiously to Rebekah. _

"He's just calmer...maybe even happy? It's refreshing after centuries of brooding," Rebekah admitted. "That's probably why he and Stefan ended up getting along so well," she quipped, clearly trying to quell the awkwardness of her sincere admissions.

_She laughed along with Rebekah and they continued dancing to a few more songs. _

"I'm so excited to have prom here," Rebekah said.

"Me too," she agreed.

_Even though she wanted to leave, this was the perfect venue for prom and she was excited to see it come together. _

"I just hope I can get Matt to come around," Rebekah confessed. "Thanks by the way for sticking up for me tonight," Rebekah added, referring to the altercation with Kol at dinner.

"No problem. Kol was out of line," she said confidently, knowing Rebekah would agree rather than take her thoughts as insult.

* * *

_They had gotten themselves another drink and had danced to a few more songs when she noticed Matt walking anxiously through the crowd by the bar._

"Maybe he is coming around..." she said to a confused Rebekah.

_She nodded her head in Matt's direction and Rebekah turned to look. _

_Rebekah froze instantly and glared at her. _

"What should I do!?" Rebekah asked in panic.

"Go talk to him," she laughed encouragingly. "You invited him here," she reminded Rebekah.

"What do I say?" Rebekah wondered.

_She shrugged. _

"Hi, for starters," she mused. "Thank him for coming. Get a drink with him...talk to him," she advised.

_Rebekah nodded as she stared in Matt's direction anxiously. _

"Just keep it casual. Don't overwhelm him," she added.

"Okay," Rebekah said decidedly, as if working herself up to approach him.

_With Rebekah off towards Matt, Klaus nowhere to be seen, and an empty drink, she headed for the bar. _

_Klaus was probably in the other room spending the cash Kol had given to him. She had yet to use hers. It was tucked securely between her leg and her stocking. _

_She found Kol sitting there nursing a drink. _

_With her drink ordered, she turned to Klaus's younger sibling. _

"Have you seen Klaus or Stefan?" she asked.

_He frowned. _

"They're playing poker with Elijah...I was playing with them," he informed her, "until I lost."

_She tried hard to suppress a laugh. Kol had been so confident earlier. _

"Where are your Vegas girlfriends?" she asked. "Isn't this their scene?"

"They're around," Kol said, with a mischievous voice that almost made her nervous.

_In the distance they both spotted Rebekah walking out of the room with Matt. _

"I hope you didn't take what I said about your friend Matt earlier personally," Kol said. "I was only picking on my baby sister."

"Matt's my friend; I was defending him," she reasoned before taking a sip of her drink.

_Kol nodded. _

"I think this is a record for us," she laughed.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"I think this is the longest you've gone without harassing me," she explained, taking another drink.

_Kol chuckled as fingered his liquor glass. _

"I only harass you because you perplex me," he mused.

_She arched an eyebrow. _

"I perplex you? What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, feigning offense.

_He shrugged as his lips pursed. _

"You're not a girl I can sleep with or feed from, you're not my sister; you're my brother's lady. I've never had one of those in my life before," he chuckled. "I mean, there was Tatia, but Elijah and Nik's relationship with her was under the radar...and I wasn't around Finn much during the Sage years..." he said. "You perplex me. I don't know how I'm supposed to act around you."

_She laughed some more at his absurd explanation. _

"And I can't really bug Nik about you directly, so I suppose I do it indirectly..."

- "...by bugging me."

_He nodded. _

"I probably asked the wrong question earlier. It's not really that hard to see why my brother fancies you – you're easy on the eyes, lively, tenacious and loyal. It's harder though to discern what you see in him," Kol pointed out.

_His comment surprised her a little. Wasn't Kol Klaus's brother? Shouldn't he see the admirable qualities in him? _

"Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but I don't always like him," he laughed.

_She nodded as she tried to put herself in Kol's shoes. Klaus had kept him in a box off and on for much of his millennium of life. Kol couldn't be blamed for his lack of understanding. He didn't see Klaus how she saw him. _

"Klaus is also tenacious and loyal. He's enlightened. He's genuinely interested in who I am. He makes me feel safe. He is also easy on the eyes," she confessed, trying hard not to blush as she tried to put into words what she saw in Klaus.

_Kol smirked. _

"Shallow one you are," Kol teased, pausing with his glass against his lips as something, or someone caught his eye.

_Bonnie was walking towards them. _

_Kol looked over at her. _

"Speaking of shallow, while I'd like to think that dark skinned beauty in the sexy green dress is approaching me, I have a feeling she knows you," Kol said under his breath.

_She smiled at Kol's smitten reaction to Bonnie before greeting her quizzically. _

"Bonnie..." she trailed off, caught off guard by her appearance.

"Hey," Bonnie said self-consciously as she looked between her and Kol. "I hope you don't mind that I'm here. Matt kind of invited me in case things with Rebekah went south," she explained.

_She shook her head readily and understandingly. _

_While it seemed like her friendship with Elena might be unsalvageable, it seemed she had made more progress with Bonnie than first thought in the past day.  
_

"Of course we don't mind," Kol stammered as he stood from his bar chair and pulled it out for Bonnie. "The more the merrier," Kol added as he took the seat beside Bonnie.

_Bonnie looked at her uncertainly, while she smiled back at her innocently. _

"Kol Mikaelson," Kol said, extending his hand.

"Bonnie Bennett," Bonnie replied, reluctantly shaking his hand, now fully realizing that this was one of Klaus's brothers.

_Kol's eyes seemed to light up. _

"You're Caroline's witch friend. I recall Nik mentioning you," Kol said.

"That would be me," Bonnie responded. "The witch," she said almost disdainfully.

"The very pretty witch," Kol added with a twinkle in his eye.

_She glared at Kol's audacity. The last thing she needed was Kol alienating the friend she was trying to win back. _

_However, Bonnie didn't look completely disgusted. In fact, she seemed equal parts disgusted and flattered. _

"And you're Klaus's...shameless flirt of a brother?" Bonnie countered.

_Kol shrugged as she laughed at Bonnie's response. _

"Can I order you a drink?" Kol asked.

_Bonnie rolled her eyes and flagged the waiter down herself. _

"Sex on the beach," Bonnie requested from the bartender.

_Kol's smile widened. _

"My favourite kind," he said.

_Bonnie scoffed and turned so she was facing her more than Kol. _

"So Rebekah and Matt..." Bonnie said ignoring Kol.

_She nodded hesitantly, worried about Bonnie's reaction, even though she should have expected it to be mild since Bonnie showed up with Matt in the first place. _

"Yeah," she replied. "What do you think?" she wondered.

_Bonnie sighed and paused before responding. _

"If Matt can begin to forgive Rebekah for what she did to him, then I guess I can too; give her the benefit of the doubt," Bonnie shrugged. "That if you can forgive Klaus...maybe I can," she added.

_A weight was instantly lifted from her shoulders with Bonnie's words. Did she hear Bonnie right? Was Bonnie actually trying to accept Rebekah and Matt? More importantly was Bonnie trying to accept her and Klaus? _

"I just want my friends to be happy," Bonnie said.

_She couldn't help the large smile forming on her face. _

"Thank you, Bonnie," she said, leaning in to hug her friend.

_It was a bittersweet moment. This is how she would have liked her conversation with Elena to have went. _

"Stefan told me what happened yesterday night," Bonnie mentioned, "about him and Elena...you and Elena."

_She let out a stressful exhale and ran her hands through her hair. _

"We don't have to talk about it. Stefan just told me you confronted Elena again with disastrous results," Bonnie explained.

"Disastrous would be an understatement," she groaned. "I tried to get her to talk to me...I tried to get her to open up...but she can't see past Klaus. I can't change the way I feel about Klaus any more than Elena can change how she feels about Damon. She doesn't seem to see the similarity. I'm done trying to force something Elena clearly doesn't want," she said.

_Bonnie nodded sympathetically. _

"Elena's being distant with me too," Bonnie admitted.

"I'm just gonna give her space," she said defeated, as they sipped on their drinks for a few moments.

_Kol was eavesdropping intently behind Bonnie, and she had to smirk at how obvious he was being. _

"So where is Klaus?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Playing poker apparently," she said, a little uncomfortable with Bonnie's casual talk about Klaus as though he was no longer an issue.

"I think Klaus is cheating," Kol said sorely.

_Bonnie looked back at him with an unimpressed stare. _

"Kol's just upset because he was put out of the game first," she informed Bonnie.

_Bonnie smirked. _

"This place looks amazing," Bonnie complimented as she looked around.

_Kol smiled relentlessly. _

"The whole thing was my idea," he declared.

_Bonnie arched an eyebrow at his bragging. _

"It really was," she corroborated.

"Have you gambled yet?" Bonnie wondered.

_She shrugged. _

"Klaus gave me some money to buy chips or coin for the slot machines, but I haven't tried. I'll just lose it all," she laughed.

_Kol rolled his eyes at her. _

"My brother gave you some of his birthday money? Why aren't we trying to double it, right now?" Kol said excitedly.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Because the chances of that happening are zero," she laughed.

"I only said _try_. Nik obviously wants you to spend it," Kol said as he hopped of his chair. "Come on girls, I'll show you some games," he urged.

_Bonnie waited for her approval, which she didn't really hold back. _

_Whether it was the alcohol talking or the need to have a good time, she couldn't tell. She was just thrilled that she had made progress with both Bonnie and Kol in the past hour. _

_Originally, she had only intended on exchanging a hundred dollars for chips and coin but Kol persuaded her to do more. Her sober self was lambasting her for how insane this was, but her drunk self, with the help of Kol, convinced her it was an excellent idea. _

_With part of it in coins, they tried out a few slot machines first. She gave Bonnie some money and they both went to town in feeding the machines while Kol tried to impress upon them useless strategies. She easily managed to spend two hundred dollars in barely the first half hour. Bonnie fared no better. _

_When they paused to grab another drink and during their informal gambling intermission, she caught sight of Klaus at one of the card tables with Stefan. Both of them looked deeply consumed in the game they were playing. She noted that Elijah was no longer there and Elijah's absence made her wonder where Rebekah and Matt were. _

_Those thoughts left her though once they reached the roulette table that boasted a few other players. _

_After Kol was done briefly explaining to her and Bonnie how to place bets and what type of bets to place, they caught the hang of it and readily traded their cash for unique coloured game chips and were having a great time. That was partly because it was easier to win at this game than the slots. She kept her bets contained to the spots with the highest probability of turning up with any given number. Bonnie, however, was a little braver with the chips she had been given. Before long, Bonnie was out of chips, but somehow she herself had managed to hover around the thousand she started with. _

"I broke a thousand," she said excitedly as the roulette wheel slowed and revealed the next number.

_Turning to her left to show off her excitement to Kol and Bonnie, she found them missing. Frowning, she scanned the room of people with no sign of them. Perhaps they had gone back to the bar to grab another drink. That's what she hoped at least. She knew Bonnie could pretty much handle herself as a witch, but if Kol was getting into any kind of trouble with her, she might consider daggering him herself. If she was soberer she might have thought to look for them, but she was too caught up in this game and whatever drink concoction the bartender had recently made for her. _

_She was on a winning streak, when she felt two hands slither in between arms and hips. She shivered when his lips pressed to her shoulder. Honestly it could have been anyone behind her, but she could tell by the spicy scent of his cologne that it was him – the birthday boy. She could also smell the whiskey on his breath which explained the ease with which he was publically displaying his affections for her. _

"Have you gambled away all the money that I gave you yet?" he wondered.

"Actually, if I hadn't given Bonnie any of it to play with, you would owe me about fifty dollars in addition to what you gave to me initially," she quipped.  
_He seemed impressed.  
_

"I lost some of mine to Stefan," he admitted. "Why are you here alone?" he asked.

_She shrugged as she daringly placed a hundred dollar bet on the table with her chips. _

"Rebekah is off with Matt somewhere, Kol stole Bonnie away, and you were otherwise occupied," she mused as the dealer announced no more bets and she waited for the wheel to slow.

_The dealer called out a four, which was a black number, the colour she had bet on. _

_She jumped. _

"I won again!" she squealed excitedly as she spun around and pulled a startled Klaus against her by his jacket lapels.

_She kissed him eagerly, and surprisingly he kissed her back fervently, deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers. Clearly the alcohol was having an effect on him too. He never would have kissed her like this in front of a bunch of people – especially when his siblings were roaming around. She revelled in the kiss, effectively distracting herself from the game, taking her body right back to where they had left off when they had been interrupted by Elijah earlier. _

_He left her gasping for breath when he parted the kiss, and the roulette game no longer seemed appealing. She wanted to play a different kind of game. _

"Can we go upstairs?" she whispered forwardly into his ear.

_Klaus turned to the dealer and instructed him to cash her out, exchanging her roulette chips for casino chips. _

"You owe me over a thousand dollars," she said to him jokingly as she collected her chips and her drink.

_Just by the way he grabbed her by the hand and offered her no reply, she knew exactly how he would take her first; hard and fast and that's how she wanted it. There would be no pleasantries exchanged; they – she especially – had waited long enough. _

_But just as they left the roulette table to head for the stairs, they practically ran straight into Damon and Elena, who, judging by their bewildered expressions, had just been privy to her moment with Klaus._

* * *

**A/N: So there's the second part. Caroline and Klaus just can't get a moment alone, can they? lol. I guess that's why my fic is called, _Love Interruption_ heh. I'm so funny.  
**

**I hope Caroline's interactions with the other characters make up for the lack of Klaroline. The third part should be posted soon! :D  
**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: You guys amaze me. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Here is part three! *Warning* there is smut in this chapter.  
**

**After this part, my head is a blank slate. I have nothing more written. In fact, I'm kind of struggling with a bit of writer's block in terms of how to approach the next chapter. I feel there needs to be a sort of chapter that bridges from Klaus's birthday to prom. I think leaping from one event to the next would be too much. I'm not just sure how to write the next chapter. Please feel free to send me your thoughts and ideas. Prom is going to be the climatic point of this story, so if there's anything you would like to see before then, please let me know. **

**I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. As usual, let me know what you think!**

* * *

"Elena...Damon," she gasped, trying to form some sort of reaction as Klaus let go of her hand.

_She could feel her cheeks flush. _

_It was silly, really. She and Klaus were no longer hiding the nature of their relationship, so why should she still feel embarrassed or ashamed in front of Elena for it? _

_She shouldn't, and with that decided, she straightened her back and flashed them a critical stare. _

_If Klaus wasn't already upset with Damon and Elena, she could tell that he was even angrier now that they had impeded their escape upstairs. _

_Damon held up his hands innocently. _

"By all means, carry on," Damon said, waving a hand towards the stairs. "I wouldn't want to be a cock-block."

"I don't recall inviting you," Klaus said bitterly.

_Damon snorted jovially. _

"I don't recall you having this many friends," Damon mused as he glanced around the room.

_Her eyes widened with Damon's bold words and she noticed Klaus's jaw immediately clench. She also noticed Elena give Damon a bit of a death stare. _

"I would watch what you say to me," Klaus warned. "I could have you ripped apart in an instant," he threatened.

_Damon sneered as Elena grabbed his arm. _

"Damon, let's just go," she said. "We can do this another time," she said.

_He shook his head and stepped out of Elena's grasp. _

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. First, we didn't know you were throwing a party until we got here. Second, we just came to talk to you," Damon explained.

_Klaus eyed Damon bemusedly. _

"Oh really? What about?" he wondered.

_Damon shrugged sarcastically. _

"Oh you know, just casual topics; the cure, the sire bond," Damon revealed, glancing at Elena.

_Klaus's eyes seemed to light up as she wondered confusingly about what Damon meant by the 'sire bond.' Why was that relevant? _

"You have my interest. So, let's talk," Klaus said. "Follow me," he instructed, heading for the parlour.

_While he never explicitly said she could or couldn't come along, she disregarded the thought and followed behind Damon and Elena. She had a right to know what was going on. _

_The parlour had been closed off to all the anonymous party guests so it was vacant when they arrived. _

_As the last person to enter, she took it upon herself to close the doors behind her. _

"Care for a drink?" Klaus asked Damon and Elena, as he motioned towards the cabinet.

_Both Damon and Elena shook their heads before Klaus glanced in her direction for her answer. She held up her glass for him to see. _

_She wandered around the perimeter of the room, behind Damon and Elena, to stand beside Klaus. _

"What are you even doing here?" she asked them before Klaus could say anything. "You wanted nothing to do with me last night," she said, staring Elena down.

_Her comments were filled with animosity and venom. She was annoyed. Not only did Elena have the nerve to show up here after their horrible confrontation last night, but in the middle of Klaus's birthday party. If the night was ruined because of this conversation, that would be the final straw. This night was supposed to be light-hearted fun. _

_Admittedly though, she felt better about this confrontation. Elena and Damon had come to them. It meant that her conversation had gotten to them; that the cure had gotten to them. And even though she was indifferent about the prospect of helping Elena now, it felt nice to have the upper hand for once. _

_Damon winced and shrugged. _

"Elena was a little moody last night," Damon reasoned. "Right, Elena?" he urged, looking over to Elena. "She's thinking more clearly now."

_She crossed her arms unsatisfied with Damon's explanation. _

"So why are you here?" Klaus said, putting the discussion back on topic.

"Stefan told me about the sire bond hypothesis, and I think you're right," Damon said to Klaus.

"Sire bond?" she asked, looking between them and Klaus for an answer.

_Klaus sighed amusedly. _

"Stefan and I were theorizing yesterday evening about why Elena was suddenly so agreeable to Damon. I suggested that perhaps Elena is sired to Damon. It was his blood that she transitioned with after all," Klaus informed her. "I didn't mention it last night because you had enough drama to deal with. Besides, it was an off-hand comment anyways. I didn't think it could really happen. It's extremely rare," he explained.

"So Elena is sired to you?" she asked Damon.

"What proof do you have?" Klaus interjected.

_Elena shifted on her feet uncomfortably, clearly dismayed by the prospect of the sire bond. _

"I can drink from blood bags. Earlier Damon asked me to drink from a blood bag, so I did. It didn't make me sick," Elena revealed.

_She thought back to last night when Elena had refused to speak with her and Damon convinced her to change her mind. _

"Last night when I went to the boarding house to talk to Elena, she didn't want to see me at first. After Damon suggested it might be a good idea, Elena agreed to," she offered.

_Both Damon and Elena winced while Klaus considered the evidence with an intrigued expression. _

"Well isn't this quite the predicament," Klaus observed as he began to pace beside her. "You've finally got a chance with Elena, and now you don't know if her feelings are genuine or not."

"What does this have to do with us?" she asked, perturbed that Damon and Elena's problems were still haunting her even though she had made a point of absolving herself of them.

"The cure, sweetheart," Klaus started. "That is the only known way to break the sire bond," he informed her.

_She sucked in a breath as she connected the dots. Damon and Elena wanted the cure to destroy the sire bond, and they needed Klaus's help to do that. _

_While it had been her original intent to help Klaus with the cure so that she could return Elena to her and preferred human state, after her disagreement with Elena last night, she was simply keen on destroying the cure and being done with it, regardless if Klaus was still set upon his hybrids. _

"Come on, do you even have to think twice about this?" Damon lamented to Klaus. "It's a win-win for us all. We break the sire bond and you have a human doppelganger," he said.

_Klaus eyed them curiously. _

"A willing human doppelganger?" he asked, looking at Elena.

_Elena looked at him dismissively. _

"Within reason," Elena stated, looking to her for support, knowing Klaus wouldn't cross her. "I will donate my blood, but you will let me live my life how I see fit."

_Klaus mulled over the proposal before shrugging almost unsatisfied. _

"I've grown accustomed to a life without anymore hybrids," Klaus admitted. "Tracking it down is almost an inconvenient danger," he said nonchalantly as she tried to decipher where he was going with this. "I would be doing you both a huge favour..." he trailed off as he made eye contact with her.

_Damon scowled. _

"Even if you don't want Elena's blood we all know you could never rest easy while there's a cure out there somewhere that could be used against you," Damon countered. "You'll be looking for it. So why not help us and get something you've been wanting for a while?"

"I surmise that destroying the cure on my own is a lot less complicated than dragging you unpredictable variables into the mix. I really have no reason to trust you," Klaus pushed.

_Damon rolled his eyes and reached into his jacket. _

"I thought you might be a little stubborn, so...maybe this will sweeten the deal," Damon said as he brought out the white oak stake.

_She gasped and Klaus's face darkened. _

"It turns out your body wasn't the only thing that didn't go up in flames when evil Alaric staked you," Damon mused as he juggled the stake in his hands.

_Klaus's arm shielded her as he stepped towards Damon. _

"Are you threatening me?" Klaus growled. "Have you forgotten that if you kill me, you'll kill yourself."

_Damon shook his head as he stared over at her. Klaus noticed Damon's shift in gaze immediately. _

"And if you lay a hand on her," Klaus started, "I'll end the sire bond by killing you both."

_She stared anxiously between Damon and Klaus as Elena did the same. _

"I'm not stupid," Damon scoffed. "Nevertheless, I know you'd rather have the stake in your possession than mine. So, agree to help us with the cure, and I'll hand over the stake," he said, clearing this throat suggestively as he nudged Elena.

"And, I'll try to be more understanding about your relationship with Klaus," Elena stammered, looking at her.

_Klaus looked back at her to gauge her reaction. _

"I don't want a bribed friendship," she said as she crossed her arms and stared at Elena.

"Which is why I said _try_," Elena retorted.

_The part of her that was angry with Elena was dead set against the proposal. She had been alienated enough by Elena that she no longer felt like helping her. But the sad part of her, the one that was mourning the loss of Elena's friendship wanted this opportunity. The rational part of her said that they needed that white oak stake. _

"What do you want, love?" Klaus asked.

_She shrugged dismissively. _

"What I want is for my former best friend to get off her high horse," she declared assertively. "I want her to stop being so hypocritical. I want her to stop expecting me to ignore my feelings for you to appease her," she stated, throwing Elena's words back in her face.

_Klaus raised his eyebrows and shot Damon and Elena an amused glare, seemingly supportive of her words. _

_Elena looked ready to protest, but Damon intercepted. _

"Do we have a deal, or not?" Damon asked.

_Klaus arched and eyebrow and looked in her direction. _

"Do we have a deal?" he asked her.

_His question confused her for a moment, before she realized that he was ceding the final decision to her. Klaus seemed to be on board with the idea of helping Elena and Damon, but it was up to her to decide whether they moved forward. _

_Klaus would search for the cure to destroy it anyways now that he knew a hunter existed that was a part of the Five; why not kill two birds with one stone? _

_She swallowed anxiously and looked back and forth between Damon and Elena, and Klaus, before finally nodding. _

_Both Damon and Elena seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. _

"Fine," she said flatly. "But I'm not doing this for you, Elena," she said harshly.

_Elena nodded meekly, almost astonished by her cold words. It was childish of her to say, she knew that, but she wanted Elena to feel how it felt to be treated as dismissively as she had treated her. _

_Klaus looked almost surprised as Elena and Damon. _

_With her approval, he shrugged. _

"It looks like we have ourselves a deal," Klaus concluded.

_Damon handed Klaus the white oak stake. _

"We need the hunter to find the cure. We do it on my terms," Klaus stated plainly.

_A knock at the parlour doors startled all of them. _

"Klaus, if you're in there with Caroline, I really don't want to know what you're doing, but your siblings want to do the cake soon, so you better get out here," Stefan stammered a little drunkenly from the other side of the door.

_Damon and Elena looked alarmed. _

_Klaus disregarded them and opened the doors, clearly hoping for an awkward confrontation. _

"Stefan, we were just finishing up an interesting conversation," Klaus mused as he glanced back at Damon and Elena.

_Stefan searched their expressions for an explanation. _

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked them.

"Well brother, it turns out your hypothesis about the sire bond was right," Damon admitted.

_Stefan shrugged as he stepped a little further into the room. _

"And what does that have to do with Klaus?" Stefan wondered, first staring at Damon and Elena, and then back at Klaus.

"Long story short, I recently discovered that the hunter we've been after is a part of a group of vampire hunters skilled with magic – called the Five – I slaughtered the original group centuries ago. Anyways, this hunter is a part of a series of things that will lead us to a cure," Klaus explained, "for vampirism."

_Stefan seemed overwhelmed by the news of a cure, much like she had when Klaus first told her. _

"Restoring Elena to her human state is the only known way to break the sire bond. Hence, the lovely party crashers," Klaus said waving his hand in the direction of Damon and Elena.

"You want to know if your feelings for Damon are real," Stefan concluded, focusing squarely on Elena.

_Elena nodded. _

"So needless to say, we made a deal. I will obtain the cure for Elena, and in exchange Damon has offered up the white oak stake, while Elena has agreed to donate her blood to me and while _trying _to be a little more receptive to Caroline," Klaus informed Stefan. "Damon and Elena can explain any missed details, but I believe I have a cake to receive," he added, nodding his head towards the door at her, requesting her to come with him.

_She followed Klaus out of the room to leave the Salvatores and Elena alone to discuss things further. _

_After discarding the white oak stake in Klaus's study, she stopped him just shy of the foyer of people. _

"Thank you," she said to him, hoping nothing more needed to be said.

_He nodded, understanding what she was referring to._

* * *

_In the foyer they found a group of people waiting around anticipatorily as if they were expecting them. _

_She spotted Rebekah waving her hand for them by the far stairwell where Kol and Elijah were also standing. _

"We were almost going to do the cake without you, mate," Kol complained as they approached.

_Before Klaus could respond with some sort of sarcastic remark, the crowd of guests and Klaus's siblings began a rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' _

_Rebekah pulled Klaus to the foot of the stairs as they continued singing and she found a spot beside an intrigued Bonnie and Matt. _

_She rolled her eyes when she noticed Klaus's tiered birthday cake being wheeled out on a cart by two 'Vegas showgirls' who looked exactly like the women Kol had brought home the other night from his trip. _

_They were dressed in intricately designed silver and gold bra and underwear combinations with matching feathers atop their heads. _

_All the guys – even Elijah – took their time gawking. Not only were these scantily clad women, but they were scantily clad human women with fresh blood rushing through their veins. She scoffed at how pathetic they looked before refusing to waste her time on such a ridiculous emotion. _

_She trusted Klaus, but she couldn't resist shooting a sour glare in Kol's direction. _

_Kol looked quite pleased with himself as they finished singing and the girls urged Klaus to blow out his candles. _

_The cake itself was a sight to behold, consisting of red and black fondant with various Vegas themed objects decorating it; casino chips, dice, cards, slot images, etc. Atop the cake were ten sparking candles_

"Ten candles, one for every century," Rebekah explained to Klaus.

"The girls are for good luck!" Kol joked.

_Both she and Rebekah scowled, and Rebekah nudged the girls out of the way. _

"Make a wish," she urged him as she stood on the opposite side of the cart.

_He smirked at her with a nod before leaning in and extinguishing each flame with a blow of air from his lips. _

_Everyone clapped and she smiled genuinely, thrilled to see Klaus apparently happy and enjoying himself again. It comforted her to see him at ease like this. The night had not been ruined after all. _

_As Kol and Klaus fought over the knife to cut the cake with, she couldn't help but notice Damon and Elena making their exit. She exchanged a brief look with Elena. Elena managed an apparent apologetic smile before Damon opened a door for her and led her out. As expected, Stefan emerged by the edge of the foyer soon after them. She wondered passively what words were exchanged between the three, but decided it was probably better to leave it be unless Stefan wanted to talk about it. _

_After Klaus and Kol were done discreetly tormenting each other with the knife, Rebekah took it upon herself to compel Kol's lady friends to cut the cake. _

_She was pleased with that outcome. _

_With the cake cut, Klaus handed her a piece before she suggested that he go and talk to Stefan. He reluctantly agreed as Elijah offered to keep her company. _

_She sat on the stairwell with Elijah as they watched the awkward foursome that was Kol, Rebekah, Bonnie, and Matt interacting with one another. _

"Well they seem to have taken a liking to one another," Elijah observed.

"Who?" she asked.

"I guess all of them," he chuckled as she savoured her first sweet bite of cake.

_She laughed, shaking her head. _

"They just better be careful with my friends – Kol especially," she warned nobody in particular.

_Elijah nodded. _

"Kol knows better than to mess with a witch, or with you for that matter at this point," Elijah assured her.

_She smiled. _

"So I think tonight was a success," she pointed out. "Klaus seems like he's enjoying himself."

"I think so too," Elijah agreed.

_They ate quietly for a few moments as she watched Klaus and Stefan talk in the far corner of the room. She stopped herself from eavesdropping. She probably couldn't even hear what they were saying if she tried. There were too many interfering noises. _

"So have you given any more thought to what we talked about this morning?" Elijah asked, clearly referring to her desire to leave Mystic Falls.

"We're not leaving until after prom, and even then it's only going to be a short trip to New York; I bought plane tickets for Klaus's birthday," she explained.

_Elijah finished chewing a bite of his cake pensively as she waited for him to respond. _

"Your return wouldn't have anything to do with Damon and Elena's visit tonight, would it?" he wondered.

_She didn't know how much information Klaus wanted shared with his other siblings, but she trusted Elijah. _

"If the hunter and the cure haven't been dealt with by prom, we'd have to return. Klaus wouldn't want to leave a huge string like that untied, and I don't entirely blame him. Damon and Elena are now a part of that," she said, taking some more of her cake.

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked.

"Elena is sired to Damon," she replied, knowing Elijah was intuitive enough to draw the right conclusions.

"They want the cure to break the sire bond," he stated.

_She nodded. _

"I let the possibility of a cure slip to Elena last night. That was before they or I knew about the sire bond," she explained.

"What did they offer in return?" Elijah asked, knowing Klaus would never go after the cure for someone else unless there was something in it for himself.

"Elena agreed to donate her blood to Klaus, she also agreed to try and be more understanding of my relationship with Klaus. Damon also gave up the white oak stake," she told him.

_Elijah seemed surprised. _

"The white oak stake that Alaric used on Niklaus?" he asked.

"That would be the one. Like Klaus's body, it wasn't destroyed. Damon took it," she said.

"How do you feel about it; the deal?" Elijah inquired.

_She shrugged. _

"I'm the one who made it. Klaus gave me the final say," she informed him.

_Elijah's eyes went wide and she laughed. _

"That surprises you?" she mused.

"Yes, it does, a little. No offense," he admitted.

_She shook her head._

"None taken," she replied. "It surprised me too," she revealed.

"What about the hybrids?" Elijah mentioned, obviously curious about her opinion.

_She sighed with a shrug of her shoulders. _

"I know why Klaus wants them...for protection; for my protection – especially with more hunters out there. Klaus said he would compromise. I'm sure there's a consensual way to make hybrids," she reasoned.

_Elijah nodded. _

"I'm sure many wolves would give anything to be free from the full moon, but the sire bond is another matter entirely," Elijah reminded her.

"Klaus could release them," she pointed out.

"Maybe so," Elijah agreed.

"We'll figure it out," she concluded.

"Figure what out?" Klaus asked as he approached with Stefan.

_She shrugged as she stood up from the stairwell with Elijah. _

"I was talking to Elijah about the hunter, the cure, and your hybrids," she said honestly.

_There was no point in lying. Besides, Elijah seemed to be the sibling Klaus confided in most. She was sure he wouldn't mind. _

_Proving her right, Klaus exchanged a knowing glance with both her and Elijah. _

"Stefan's challenged me to another game. He thinks he can beat me again," Klaus said, patting Stefan on the shoulder. "Would you mind?" he asked her, clearly referring back to their earlier attempt to escape upstairs.

_Elijah and Stefan seemed bewildered by Klaus's considerate gesture – what some might label as being whipped. _

"No," she answered. "It's your birthday, go have fun," she urged him, knowing that it would be just as good for Stefan as Klaus.

"Would you like to join us, Elijah?" Klaus asked.

_Following Klaus's polite behaviour, Elijah looked to her. _

"It's fine. I'm gonna go grab another drink and check in on the fantastic four," she said laughingly.

_Elijah smirked, being the only one to understand who she was referring to. _

"I'll find you later," Klaus told her.

_She nodded and they parted ways; her to the bar and him, along with Stefan and Elijah, to the card tables._

* * *

_Sure enough, she found Matt, Kol, Bonnie, and Rebekah gathered around the bar with drinks in hand. All of them – particularly Bonnie and Matt – seemed pretty drunk. She herself had been losing her buzz since Damon and Elena's visit; she had some catching up to do. _

"Caroline!" Rebekah shouted at her. "Have a drink with us," she urged.

_She laughed with a nod as Rebekah demanded another drink from the bartender. If Rebekah kept up that behaviour she would have to compel the bartender not to cut her off. _

_Rebekah handed her some sort of blue mixed drink and she tried hard not to think about how strange this was; standing here with the four of them together. _

"Where's Nik?" Rebekah asked.

"He's playing cards with Elijah and Stefan," she said.

_Rebekah scoffed. _

"Card games are so boring," Rebekah complained.

"That's only because you don't know how to play them, sister," Kol mused.

_Rebekah rolled her eyes. _

"Clearly neither do you, since you were put out of the first game the moment you started," Rebekah countered.

"I really don't like them either," Matt piped up, garnering a pleased smile from Rebekah and a glower from Kol.

"Are you having fun, Bonnie?" she asked, hoping Kol wasn't being too overbearing.

_Bonnie nodded; a little smirk playing on her lips as she briefly looked over at Kol. _

"She loves my dance moves," Kol interjected.

_Smirking inwardly, she wondered if Bonnie had actually danced with him. She thought about stooping to Kol's level and asking him where his Vegas showgirls were, but she decided to let his moment with Bonnie play out. If anyone could handle Kol, it was Bonnie. _

"Speaking of dancing, I want to dance again," Rebekah said excitedly.

_Matt frowned. _

"I'm sorry," he said, "but that's another thing I don't like," he confessed.

_Rebekah scowled and looked to her. _

"Dance with me again, Caroline?" Rebekah requested.

_She agreed and then looked to Bonnie who also appeared interested. _

"Do you think you two can play nicely?" Rebekah asked Matt and Kol, staring at Kol in particular.

_Rebekah had taken the question right out of her mouth. _

_The last time Kol and Matt had been alone together, Matt didn't fair too well. _

_Kol smirked and put an arm around Matt for show. _

"What? We're best mates now, aren't we Matt?" Kol laughed.

_Matt shrugged with a drunken laugh. _

_She glared at Kol apprehensively before she felt herself being dragged off to the dance floor once more by Rebekah. _

"Do you think they'll be okay?" she asked Rebekah as the three of them began to dance.

_Rebekah nodded. _

"Kol actually already apologized," Bonnie informed her.

_Her eyebrows rose with suspicion and Rebekah confirmed Bonnie's statement. _

"They'll be fine," Rebekah concluded. "Look, they're laughing together right now," she added.

_She noted what Rebekah pointed out. _

"Yeah well they're drunk. Who knows how they would be if they were sober," she thought aloud.

_Bonnie agreed. _

"So you and Kol, huh?" she teased Bonnie.

* * *

_After Bonnie was finished playing coy about her obvious attraction to Kol, they danced for what felt like the rest of the night, stopping every now and then to take a break, grab another drink, and check in on Kol and Matt. _

_Before long, she, Rebekah, and Bonnie were practically the only ones left on the dance floor. _

_At this point, Rebekah and Bonnie were barely dancing, nearly too intoxicated to stand while she herself could feel her head starting to spin. _

"It's four in the morning," Rebekah exclaimed as she finished her drink and let the empty glass shatter on the floor for amusement. "I need another drink," Rebekah announced and Bonnie seconded her desire.

_She was about to suggest that the both of them stop drinking, but hesitated, realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to piss off a witch or an original vampire. _

"I need some air," she told the girls.

"You're a party pooper," Rebekah goaded.

_She shrugged and told them to have a good time before turning towards the hall of people who were preparing to make their exit through the foyer. _

_Heading in the opposite direction, she went for the back terrace. _

_The early morning mild spring air was refreshing and her spinning head began to slow as she leaned against the terrace rail. _

_She gazed out admiringly at the grassy hills and the darkened forest in the distance before starring up at the starry sky and waning gibbous moon. _

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Klaus said from behind her causing her to jump.

_Turning around, she found Klaus standing there with an open bottle of champagne in one hand and a blanket in the other. _

_She arched eyebrow amusedly. _

"I beat Stefan this time," he said as he approached her. "A victory celebration is in order," he declared, holding up the bottle.

"You're drunk," she laughed.

_He shrugged. _

"So are you," he pointed out.

"Not as much as you," she countered.

_He scoffed and took a sip from the bottle before handing it to her. _

"Why do you always insist on having the last word?" he mused as she took a drink.

"Becau..."

_She stopped herself before she could prove his point. He smirked. _

"What's the blanket for?" she asked.

_He grabbed her wrist. _

"The sun will be up in an hour or so. Come on," he urged, tugging her towards the stairs.

"Wait!" she stammered as they reached the stairs.

_He stopped and she slipped off her heels, knowing she would never be able to make it down the stairs or through the grass with them on. _

_With her heels in one hand and the bottle of champagne in the other she followed him carefully and curiously down the stairs. _

_She sighed delightfully when they reached the edge of the patio and stepped into the grass. The cool blades felt relaxing on her feet after being in heels the entire night. _

_They drank and walked for a while, over and down a few hills, stumbling along the way, until they were just on the other side of the barn. _

_The flattened land here dropped off further in front of them and if it wasn't still so dark, you would be able to see trees and open space for miles. _

_He stopped began to fumble with the folded blanket. She dropped her shoes to the ground and helped him pull the blanket apart. _

_Covering a patch of grass with it, she helped herself to a spot, sitting down with the bottle of champagne she now claimed as hers. _

_Klaus stripped himself of his jacket, which he draped over her shoulders and she smirked inwardly. _

"You know...this is almost romantic, right?" she teased as she slipped her arms inside the sleeves of his jacket, loving the way his scent consumed the air around her.

"Almost?" he retorted as he sat down beside her.

"Champagne flutes would have been nice," she joked before taking a swig from the bottle.

_He rolled his eyes and grabbed the bottle from her when she was finished. _

_She sighed and outstretched her legs, propping her torso up by resting on her forearms. _

"I couldn't find any. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to carry them anyways," he reasoned.

_She laughed. _

"You know, just because I kill ruthlessly on occasion doesn't mean I don't know romance," he added.

_She shrugged with another laugh. _

"I know. It just doesn't seem like your thing," she replied.

"You shouldn't stereotype," he smirked.

_She scoffed and reached over to reclaim the bottle of champagne, but he held it out of her reach on purpose, glaring down at her playfully. _

"Hey!" she demanded, as she sat up, reaching for it further.

_It was still beyond her grasp and she stood up on her knees with a huff to reach over him. _

_She knew what he was up to the second his hand wrapped itself around her hip and pulled her into his lap. _

_Now straddling him, he lowered the bottle and handed it to her. _

_She drank from it readily, feigning annoyance at his playful attempt to get her into his lap._

_Truthfully, she enjoyed being this close to him. _

"It really isn't my thing; romance," he conceded.

_She glared at him, annoyed by how he had just made a big deal out of her stereotyping him. _

"...but I make exceptions," Klaus added.

_One of her eyebrows arched inquisitively. _

"Exceptions for...?"

"You, basically," he shrugged innocently, "because you're my _thing_," he laughed as she took another drink.

_Her cheeks reddened as she cringed at how cheesy he was being. _

"Now I think you're just trying to get into my pants," she giggled while watching him take his turn with the bottle.

_How is it possible that he could even make drinking straight from a champagne bottle sexy? _

_He tossed the now empty bottle into the grass and looked down in between them. _

"Sweetheart, you're not wearing any pants," he grinned.

_She looked down and smirked; her dress was bunched up around her thighs showing off the tops of her stockings and the garter straps attached. _

_He ran his warm hands over her thighs and then up her arms as he kissed her neck lightly. _

"Can I finish opening my present now?" he asked against her skin.

_Heat and pressure went straight to her core with his request. _

_He pulled back to gauge her reaction. _

"We're completely out in the open," she protested anxiously as he started peppering kisses above her cleavage.

_Her hands instinctively entangled themselves in his hair. _

"Says the girl who begged me to touch her in the alley behind the Grill," he teased, returning his hands to her thighs.

"Fully...clothed," she pointed out, trying hard to think rationally, even though her hips were grinding down desperately against his.

_He looked up at her. _

"Come on, love," he cajoled, "It's just us...and even if someone did happen to stumble all the way out here, it's still too dark," he argued.

_He kissed her lips and coaxed them open slowly with his tongue. _

"We shouldn't," she hesitated in between his fiery kisses.

"Your body says otherwise," he breathed. "Please let me have you," he urged, kissing her with more intensity.

_She mewled into the kiss and as soon as she took it upon herself to deepen it – giving into her desires and giving him tacit approval – in a flash he had her pinned beneath him. _

_They kissed more frantically than before as they pawed haphazardly at one another. _

_She savoured the taste of his champagne tongue. _

_Once her hands found their way to the buttons of his shirt, she tugged at them eagerly, in need of his skin against hers. _

_With his shirt open, she ran her hands over his chest, leaving one to linger while the other curled around his neck. _

_She gasped for air when he broke the kiss and descended his lips upon her jaw and neck while his hands outlined the curves of her body. _

_Indeed, her body was an open book to him, one that he had memorized and could read rather well when he needed to. He always knew what she wanted. _

_She didn't think it was possible to want someone physically so badly and constantly as she did him. She just needed to get as close to him as she possibly could. _

_He sat up on his knees and reached underneath her for the zipper to her dress. Pulling it down to the small of her back, she lifted her hips to enable him to side it off. _

_Instead, he grasped the material and ripped the skirt of her dress in two before tossing the now useless material to the side. _

_She was about to protest or scold him but he quelled her distress with a kiss._

_He had bought the dress, she reasoned. She supposed he could do with it what he wanted. _

_With the dress gone, he rose once more to drink in the sight of his unwrapped gift. _

_His eyes traced over the black strapless bra before moving downward to the lacy garter belt and the red and black thong he had requested she wear for him sometime. _

"Perhaps you should have wheeled out my birthday cake tonight," he admired as his hands tugged her stockings free from the clutches of her garter straps.

"While that sounds good in theory, I don't think you would have appreciated that in practice," she laughed.

_He leaned into her and kissed hungrily up her stomach, snapping her bra from its clasp with one hand. _

_The night air swept across her breasts and her nipples hardened instantly in response. _

_Klaus took advantage, taking one into his hot mouth, while he palmed the other with his hand. _

_She groaned, his stimulation only intensifying the ache between her legs. _

_Admittedly, the fact that they were outside in the open didn't help matters either. Even though she had been reluctant at first, there was something wanton about it that made her even more receptive to his touch. _

_He spent his time lavishing attention upon each of her breasts while grinding his lower half shamelessly against her centre. Again, she was an open book to him. He knew that by the time he was done her panties would be drenched and she'd be begging for him to take her. _

"You're gonna make me cum like this if you don't stop," she whimpered into the night as her head started to spin again for an entirely new reason.

_Of course that only spurred him on further. His tongue swirled deliciously over both her nipples while his covered hard on teased her relentlessly. _

_Her eyes clenched shut, her breathing went shallow, and her legs clamped around his waist while her fingers dug into his upper arms. _

"Klaus, I'm not ly...ing," she groaned loudly in surprise as the impact of her first orgasm hit her at full force.

_She tried to stifle her cries as the successive waves of bliss echoed from between her legs. She held him against her tightly as unbearable aftershocks shook through her body. _

_Never had she had an orgasm like that before. _

_Still in a daze she lied there looking up at the sky, panting for breath. _

_She dropped her legs from his hips and he stood up on his knees to pull away her underwear and undo his own pants. _

"I told you," she said as he repositioned himself in between her, his cock teasing her dripping slit.

_He smiled down at her, his ego evidently stroked by the fact that he could make her climax so easily. _

"You're beautiful when you cum," he complimented. "Can I see it again?" he asked as he pushed himself inside of her.

_She gasped at his words and delightful intrusion as she nodded eagerly. _

_While the physical mechanics of sex were simple, the gravity of what they were doing always seemed to hit her in an overwhelming wave of emotion when he would enter her for the first time. _

_There was nothing overrated about this. _

_He rested his hips against hers the moment he filled her entirely. _

_Both of them were breathing raggedly now as his eyes bore down into hers. _

_He began to move his hips slowly, their eye contact never faltering. _

_A shy part of her wanted to look away, but she couldn't. She was drawn to his stare. _

_She wrapped her legs securely around his waist while one of her hands caressed his chest and the other dug into the back of his neck. _

_He kissed her cravingly as he thrust harder while his free hand moved from her hair, to her breast, and down to the curve of her bottom. _

_She revelled in the feel of his hands on her body and the overwhelming sensation of him hitting the right spot inside of her over and over again. _

_He sucked on her lips and she mimicked the action before she moved her lips to his neck. _

"I want you to fuck me," he growled breathlessly into her ear, his stubble scratching her cheek deliciously.

_Her body burned with his licentious request. She couldn't recall him ever asking that of her before in those particular words. _

_She hesitated for a moment at the prospect of being on top, simply because she would be more exposed than she was now underneath him, but she quickly brushed those thoughts aside; they were already too far into this for it to matter much to her now. _

_Using her strength, she flipped them over so that he was now beneath her. _

_His jacket was the only bit of cover she retained, but even it hung open. _

_He gazed up at her lustfully, as though she was the only thing he needed. _

_Her stomach did a small flip in response as she griped his stiff member and positioned it at her entrance. _

_She enjoyed taking control of him like this. _

_Resting one hand on his hip and another on his thigh, she lowered herself on top of him and took him in entirely. _

_She watched intently as his jaw and lips tightened at the new feeling. _

_Having this raw power over his pleasure was exciting. He was supposed to be an original hybrid, and yet here he was writhing below her submissively, at her mercy for his release. _

_At first she moved her hips slowly in an effort to find the right angle. _

_Leaning forward a bit, she found the position she was looking for. Rocking her hips a little faster, she steadied herself with her hands against his chest. _

_She sighed contentedly as he groaned through closed lips. _

"You feel so good," he stammered as he cupped her ass.

"Mmm...so do you," she purred, almost incoherently as she worked her hips into a pleasurable rhythm.

_Each stroke of him inside of her sent her reeling and she bore down on him harder with reckless abandon, whining in response as her clit rubbed easily against his pubic bone. _

_The delectable feeling was so potent it was overpowering. _

_With one of his hands aiding her movements, the other traced the lapels of his jacket before dipping underneath and fondling her aching breasts. _

_She moaned gratefully, stifling her noises with a bite to her bottom lip. _

_The pressure between her legs was astounding. Her second orgasm was so close. It was becoming difficult to focus both on the pace of her movements and the rapidly impending high she needed. _

_She fell against his chest, connecting her lips with his. _

_He took over much of her effort, guiding her hips with his hands and thrusting his hips upwards hastily. _

_Both of them were fighting for air in between uncoordinated kisses. _

_Her thighs felt numb from how tightly she had them clenched as she concentrated on her release. _

"Cum with me," she pleaded just above his lips. "I'm almost there," she cried.

_His chest rumbled against hers with a low growl while his fingertips dug into her hips. _

_He grunted loudly and his body began to convulse as he throbbed inside of her, succumbing to his release. _

_With one final roll of her hips, the spark inside her ignited and she practically screamed as her climax erupted with wondrous spasms around his still pulsing cock. _

_She kissed him deeply and slowly as she rode both of their orgasms out. _

_When he appeared sated and her orgasm faded, she rested her head against his chest, chasing after lost breath and rational thought. _

_Judging by the erratic movement of his chest, he was trying to do the same. _

"Happy birthday," she sighed, trailing her fingers up and down his arm.

_He laughed lazily, draping an arm over her back while the other played in her hair. _

"A very happy birthday," he mused.

_She closed her eyes for a few moments relishing in the closeness of his body before one of them would inevitably decide to move. _

_Upon opening her eyes, it was only then that she realized how light outside it had become; it would be completely light out in a matter of an hour or so. The sun would start to rise soon. She would be out here in broad daylight in nothing but Klaus's jacket._

_With her legs feeling like jelly, she climbed off him, falling onto her back beside him. _

_He let out an audible sigh as she did before pulling up his pants. _

_She looked up to the sky to find that most of the stars had disappeared now. _

_For some reason tonight felt different. They were different. It was a good different, but she couldn't explain it. She felt closer to him than she ever had. She almost felt excited for something, but she didn't know what. _

_She felt around the blanket beside her, locating both her bra and underwear. _

_Sitting up, she fixed her bra back in place and out-stretched her legs to put the skimpy pair of panties back on. _

"I should have ripped both of those," Klaus mused as he sat up.

_She laughed as she eyed the torn dress. _

"I guess I'll have to use the blanket as a makeshift dress," she decided as she prepared to stand up.

_He stopped her though, pulling her back so that she was sitting in between his legs, her back against his chest and his arms over hers. _

_She wasn't used to this kind of persistent intimate affection from him, but she wasn't about to refuse it when he was clearly offering. _

"Have you painted the sunrise before?" she wondered as she admired the sky as it began to turn pink and orange.

"Many times," he answered.

_She nodded. _

"You should paint it from here," she said simply.

"Why?" he asked.

_She shrugged demurely. _

"We'll leave eventually; it will be a memory...of this," she explained.

_He said nothing in response, as though he silently understood what she was trying to say. _

_They sat there quietly for a few moments as she thought about leaving the only place she had ever known and the prospect of surviving the world for centuries with Klaus. She wondered what it would be like. _

"What did you wish for tonight?" she asked. "When you blew out your candles?"

_He chuckled superstitiously. _

"I can't tell you that, love. Or it won't come true," he said.

_She scoffed amusedly. _

"Have any of your wishes ever come true? A thousand birthdays would be enough time to determine that," she wondered.

"They have," he nodded.

_She was curious but she refrained from asking for details. _

"What did you wish for on your last birthday?" he asked, taking her back to the night where this all began for them.

_She thought back to the moment she blew out her candles in the eerie cemetery. _

"Direction," she said simply.

"Direction?" he asked.

_She nodded. _

"It's hard enough trying to plan out your life when you're mortal. When I was mortal I knew I wanted to stay in Mystic Falls for the rest of my life. When I turned, I knew that would no longer be an option. I was unsure about next steps," she revealed. "Then you stepped into my room..."

_His breathing hitched and silence overtook their conversation. _

"Maybe your wish tonight will come true," she said hopefully. "After all, you had Kol's good luck charms presenting you with your cake," she laughed sarcastically.

_He laughed behind her. _

"I only saw you," he said, his hands trailing up her shoulders.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"You just rolled your eyes," he mused as his fingers curled around the collar of his jacket, pulling it just off of her shoulders.

_She blushed, cursing his ability to pick up on her most subtle movements. _

"You have nothing to worry about, love. They're not to my taste," he assured her as hand brushed her hair to one side and his lips pressed against the newly exposed skin of her shoulder.

_Her eyebrow arched. _

"Literally or figuratively?" she wondered.

"Both," he said bluntly as his fangs lightly scraped the curve of her neck.

_She tried not to let it consume her that he had more than likely sampled the girls' blood at some point during the night. He was a vampire, he needed human blood to survive; they both did. _

"Feeding from humans is just a way to survive, sweetheart," he assured her. "It means nothing," he added.

"I know," she whispered.

_He was right; she knew that from firsthand experience. Any time she had fed off a human she felt no emotion towards them whatsoever – besides the competing urges to wanting to kill them and keep them alive. There was no feeling there. They were to her what a juicy cheeseburger was to a starving human. _

"When I drink from you," he started, "it's...intimate," he said just before his fangs punctured her skin.

_She gasped and winced at the initial sensation before the euphoric feelings he had summed up as intimacy began to overtake her. _

_He suckled languidly at her flesh, caressing her wound with his lips and tongue while his hand stroked her hair. _

_She picked up his wrist that laid in her lap desirously. Pulling back the sleeve of his shirt, she brought his arm closer to her face. She could see the veins and smell the blood coursing through them. Her eyes darkened and her fangs emerged, not from a physiological hunger, but an emotional one. She let her fingers trace the thin skin around his wrist before replacing the touch of her hands with the touch of her lips. She bit down slowly, feeling his body tense behind her as her fangs sunk deeper. He murmured against her shoulder as she began to drink and she basked in the warmth that engrossed her. She felt a million things at once as his blood entered her system; most prominently she could feel his affection, but she also felt safe and indestructible. _

"I wished once for this," he spoke against her skin as she drank, "A year or so after I betrayed Elijah's love for Katerina."

_Mention of Elijah and Katherine intrigued her, but she said nothing, hoping her silence would encourage him. _

"I wanted to understand my brother's irrationality; I wanted to understand the love he had for her so that I could understand him," he admitted.

_He felt completely tense against her as though he was on the verge of a revelation. _

"I do, now," he said.

_Her eyes widened and she retracted her fangs from his skin as her mind raced to decipher what he meant. _

"I love you," he confessed quietly.

_It was her turn for her body to go rigid as she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. _

_She turned around in his lap to study his expression. _

"You're drunk; it's bloodlust," she reasoned with a nervous laugh.

_He shook his head and framed her face with his hands. _

"I assure you," he swallowed, "it's not."

_She looked into his eyes for any hint of insincerity. _

"I could never lie to you," he told her.

_Chewing on her lip anxiously she searched for words as her mind over thought and tried to process what he had just said to her. _

_He told her that he loved her. _

_She felt her eyes go glassy as a smile formed on her lips. _

"I love you, too."

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it folks. Some of you predicted Klaus would say it and I applaud you! What did you think? Review maybe? :) **


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Hey there, thanks for being so patient with me. The last three chapters before this one took a lot out of me. Moreover, I was struggling with how to best approach the chapter. I received a lot help/opinions/ideas from a few very wonderful readers/reviewers, so I'm really grateful them, as I am to all of you for continuing to read and review. **

**Also, I'm really pleased with the reception to the last chapter - particularly the end. I was worried about your reactions, but it turned out I had nothing to be concerned about. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last. This chapter, and likely the next, are mainly filler chapters leading up to the final climatic event of my story: prom.**

* * *

_She could vaguely remember falling asleep outside against his chest. She could vaguely remember him slipping on her feet back into her shoes before he picked her up and wrapped the blanket around her. She could vaguely remember him carrying her back to the house and upstairs to his room where he tucked her into his bed and climbed in beside her. _

_All of that would explain why she was still dressed in nothing but her underwear, stockings and his suit jacket, and why the blankets were pulled back on one side of the bed. _

_Rubbing her eyes absentmindedly, she cursed herself when she noticed the black on her hands from her make-up she never bothered to wash off before bed. She could only imagine that she was a sight for sore eyes. _

_She sighed at the empty space beside her before rolling over with a stretch. _

_The slight anxiety his absence brought her was quelled when she noticed him through the closed French doors in the other room putting the finishing touches on the painting of her he had started yesterday. _

_Smiling, she watched him contentedly as he worked. _

_She could also vaguely remember him telling her that he loved her. No, scratch that. She could vividly remember him speaking those words to her as the sun came up. _

_Her cheeks reddened as her smile intensified uncontrollably as she replayed the moment over in her mind. _

_Everything about it had been perfect. In hindsight, it was a fairytale moment; the kind of unrealistic romance you never expect from reality. That was the point; it was an unexpected and unplanned romance; apparently it was inadvertently Klaus's thing after all, she mused. _

_There was this excitement bubbling inside of her. She had this insane urge to jump out of bed and scream at the top of her lungs that he loved her. She wanted to tell anyone who would listen. _

_Elena would have been the first person she texted if circumstances had been different. _

_Who could she talk to now? _

_It was almost painful having to keep this development to herself. _

_She was sure Klaus would prefer it that way though. _

_Maybe he himself had forgotten the words he had uttered to her earlier? After all, he was drunk, high off her blood, and sleep deprived when he said it. _

_There was no way it slipped his mind. _

_When you say something as significant as those three words, you never forget it, regardless of how drunk you are. _

_Besides, she couldn't really blame him for letting it slip after he had been drinking. The first time she confessed her love for him she had been drinking too. She confessed it to him believing him to be Tyler; little did she know. _

_She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling with a contented sigh as she dared to replay the moment to herself one more time. _

_The clock on Klaus's nightstand said it was just after noon-hour. While it seemed late, she really hadn't gotten that much sleep when she thought about it. _

_Sitting up, her head still felt a little fuzzy from last night's excessive alcohol consumption. _

_Listening closer, she could hear commotion from downstairs probably due to Klaus's birthday being disassembled. She was surprised Klaus wasn't in the midst of it seeing as how he had been so concerned about it yesterday. _

_Slowly climbing out of bed, she headed for the bathroom to wash her face and grab a shower._

* * *

_As she started her shower, she was only moderately surprised when she heard the bathroom door open and close. _

_She began to wet her hair with a smirk, anticipating his intentions. _

_Through the steam, she managed to catch a glimpse of him stripping away his jeans and old t-shirt. _

_She closed her eyes again as she tipped her head back to catch some more water. _

_When the glass shower door opened, so did her eyes. _

_She let her eyes roam his body shamelessly as his did the same to hers. _

_He was already sporting half of a hard-on for her. _

_A small grin tugged on her lips as she turned around to let the spray of the water hit her face. _

"You're awake," he said. "Good afternoon."

"You found me," she mused, stepping aside to let him warm his body with the water.

_He shrugged as he soaked his hair. _

"It wasn't hard. You left a trail of your lingerie for me to follow," he explained mirthfully, "which I can't say I minded."

_She picked up the shampoo she brought for herself and put some in her hand. _

"Good," she said decidedly as she massaged the liquid into her scalp.

_He stepped aside, allowing her access to the water to rinse out her hair as he retrieved his own shampoo. _

_When she was done, she returned the gesture and offered him space to rinse out his own hair under the showerhead. _

_She hated that he was playing coy with her; making it seem like this was merely an innocent shower to be shared. _

_Taking the initiative, she filled her hand with some of his body wash while he was occupied with rinsing his hair. _

_She put her palm on his chest, drawing small circles as a lather formed between her hand and his skin. _

_He let out a low groan as he tipped his head upright. _

_She ran his hands over his arms and then onto his stomach. _

"What are you doing?" he asked feigning ignorance.

_She arched and eyebrow as her hands descended lower. _

"What does it look like?" she asked with a playfully sarcastic tone. "I'm seducing you in hopes you'll take me in the shower," she said bluntly.

_His eyes widened as a smirk appeared on his face. _

"Can you hold that thought?" he wondered just before her hands reached the base of his growing manhood.

_She frowned, eyeing him curiously. _

_He kissed her before looking at her apologetically. _

"I actually really came in here to shower," he laughed. "Elijah and Stefan are downstairs waiting. They want to go dispose of the human body of the wolf I killed the other night."

_She couldn't help but laugh at the situation before scoffing. _

"Now who's being a huge tease?" she complained as she began to use some of her own body wash on herself.

_He kissed her again, a little more intensely than the last. _

"I never tease without the intention of following through, love. Unfortunately my follow through will have to wait until later," he told her.

_She sighed and nodded, knowing she wanted more than what a quickie in the shower could offer her anyways. _

"Promise?" she asked.

"Of course," he said obviously, as he rinsed his body off.

_She finished her shower shortly after him and gratefully caught a towel he tossed in her direction when she emerged. _

_Wrapping the towel around herself, she re-entered his bedroom. Fully intending to cloth herself, instead she succumbed to her hangover induced laziness and fell back into his bed, wet hair and all. _

_It's not like she had anywhere particular to be. She wasn't exactly keen on tracking down the wolf that attacked her the other night. _

_She crocked her head up when Klaus stepped into the room. She admired the curl of his damp hair and the perfect way his jeans rested on his hips as he slipped a white t-shirt over his head. She was sure he could hear her sigh when he finished his look with his collared black spring coat, but he only replied with a smirk. _

"You sound concerned about this wolf?" she said.

_He shrugged as he approached her. _

"Where there's one wolf, there's usually more. I want to determine who they are; if I recognize them. Perhaps that could explain why they're in Mystic Falls - a notoriously hostile environment for wolves," he explained. "This place is teeming with vampires."

"And big bad original hybrids," she teased as she looked up at him.

_He climbed in between her legs on his knees, kissing her jaw chastely. _

"Precisely," he said.

"Can't you just send Stefan and Elijah to retrieve the body?" she pouted as she ran her fingers over the material of his jacket.

_He caught her extended lower lip in between his own. _

"I have to go," he said before laughing slightly. "I refuse to fall for your feminine wiles like I did yesterday," he added, tracing his index finger over her collar bone.

_She grinned guiltily. _

"But you enjoyed yourself yesterday, didn't you?" she wondered hesitantly.

_He nodded. _

"Did you?" he asked warily.

_She reciprocated his nod. _

"We drank too much, spent too much money, and stayed up too late though," she mused.

"I have no regrets," he stated, a seemingly serious expression forming on his face as his eyes focused on hers. "_None,_" he emphasized.

_Her stomach fluttered instinctively in response. She knew exactly what he was referring to and it was what she needed to hear. _

_She nodded again quietly as he pried himself off of her. _

"I'll be back later on," he told her before leaving the room.

* * *

_She dressed herself in simple jeans and a floral blouse and debated what to do with the day as she picked up her things. _

_Deciding to pay her mom a visit before doing some homework, she practically had her hand on the bedroom door to leave when she was startled by an annoying knock on the other side. _

"Caroline, I know you're in there," Rebekah said. "Open up. We have prom stuff to attend to."

_So much for her mother, or her homework, she thought. _

_She opened the door to find Rebekah seemingly stunned that she had answered the door so quickly. _

_Leaning against the door frame, she sighed. _

"How are you not more hung over?"

"I can handle my liquor," Rebekah shrugged.

"So what's on the agenda?" she asked, deciding it was probably best just to go along with Rebekah's plan.

"Well we have place cards to make up, a dinner menu to decide on, a layout to create, and table settings and centrepieces to confirm," Rebekah listed. "The event company Kol enlisted for Nik's birthday is the same company I contacted for our prom. After they're finished cleaning up downstairs, Taryn, one of the planners, is going to have a few tables set up so we can make some final decisions," Rebekah explained. "Oh, and Adrian is coming over later too. He's bringing my dress for a final fitting, and apparently he has yours too."

_Her eyes widened. _

"Already?" she asked.

_Rebekah nodded. _

"Well I did compel him to hurry up. I guess he took me a little too literally," Rebekah mused.

_She rolled her eyes before following Rebekah to her room. _

"We're hand-writing the place cards in cursive. They do still teach that in school, don't they?" Rebekah asked her.

_She laughed and nodded. _

_Rebekah handed her some place cards along with a thin black marker and a list of prom attendees. _

"You do the right column, I'll do the left," Rebekah instructed her. "Use a book for a hard surface," she added before taking a seat at her desk.

_She grabbed large hardcover book randomly off one of the shelves in Rebekah's room and spread out all the material on the area rug in front of the fireplace. _

"How did the rest of your night go?" she asked Rebekah curiously as she noticed the dress Rebekah had worn last night draped over the end of her bed.

_She couldn't see Rebekah's face completely, but she thought she could see a small smile. _

"Bonnie and Matt took a cab home soon after you left us," Rebekah informed her.

_Rebekah paused and sudden silence unnerved her. _

"Matt agreed to be my prom date," Rebekah said finally.

_She exhaled in relief and found herself mirroring Rebekah's beaming expression. _

"He did? Rebekah, that's great," she exclaimed.

"I didn't think it would happen," Rebekah admitted.

_She shrugged. _

"I think you underestimated how forgiving Matt can be," she said.

"I guess I did," Rebekah conceded as they both turned their attention towards the work they had to do.

_After a while, she heard Rebekah scoff. _

"That's what I don't get," Rebekah complained. "I nearly killed Matt and he's giving me a chance. You fall in love with Nik and Elena doesn't want anything to do with you," she scowled.

_She sighed. _

"Well that could change, but I won't get my hopes up," she hinted, sparking Rebekah's intrigue. "Elena and Damon were here last night."

_Rebekah turned around in her chair to fully face her, now sporting a confused expression. _

"They were here last night? What did they want?" she asked.

"They weren't here very long. They left as we gave Klaus his cake. They came to make a deal with us," she revealed to Rebekah.

_Rebekah was becoming antsy with her cryptic talk. _

"A deal?"

"When I confronted Elena the other night I kind of let the prospect of a cure slip. Apparently Elena is sired to Damon. They want the cure to break the sire bond," she explained.

"So what's the deal?" Rebekah asked.

"They need Klaus to help find the cure. In exchange, Damon gave up the white oak stake, and Elena has offered up her blood and a promise to be more understanding of my relationship with Klaus," she told Rebekah.

_Seemingly deep in thought, Rebekah nodded absently. _

"And you're just okay with Nik creating more hybrids?"

_She shrugged. _

"He just wants them now for our protection; nothing more. He's willing to compromise," she assured Rebekah.

"And the cure?" Rebekah asked.

"What about it?" she wondered.

"Nik's just going to destroy it after Elena gets her hands on it?" Rebekah clarified.

_She nodded. _

"I guess, unless anyone else wants it," she answered.

_Rebekah gazed briefly out the window before confronting her with a serious look. _

"You don't want it?" Rebekah asked.

_She shook her head. _

"No, I don't," she replied.

_Rebekah seemed surprised. _

"Because of my brother?" Rebekah inquired.

"I like who I am as a vampire. I don't like the person I was when I was human. I know it sounds ironic, but being a vampire has made me a better person," she confessed.

"But didn't you ever want to grow older? Have kids?" Rebekah wondered.

_She nodded. _

"I did; there's a part of me that still does, but I know that I want to be with your brother more," she admitted.

"And Nik would never take the cure," Rebekah added.

"No, he wouldn't. I would never ask him to," she said.

_Rebekah looked pensively down at her desk. _

"Would you take the cure?" she asked, curious to know Rebekah's answer.

_A long sigh escaped Rebekah's lips as she almost tried hard to ignore the question. It was obviously something on her mind; something she had considered. _

"You don't have..."

- "I would," Rebekah cut her off. "I would take the cure."

_Needless to say, Rebekah's confession surprised her. Klaus's sister had always flaunted her strength and revelled in the power being a vampire gave to her. It seemed unlike her to want to give all of that up for a human life. _

"I've been a vampire for almost a thousand years," Rebekah continued. "And most of those years have been miserable. I'm tired of it. I want something different," she said. "I want to live, I want to grow old, I want to work, and I want to fall in love, be married, and have children. I want to feel it all. I want to appreciate life," she revealed.

_She tensed at Rebekah's very personal confession. Rebekah had never been as open with her as she was being right now. _

"Where would you go? What would you do?" she asked, curious for Rebekah's answer.

"I suppose I would stay here. I like it here. This is the place I grew up in after all. I would finish school; go to college," Rebekah answered.

"What would you study?" she questioned, encouraging Rebekah to continue.

_Rebekah shrugged. _

"Perhaps medicine," Rebekah replied.

_She thought back to the conversation she and Klaus had the day before about his adventures with Rebekah. _

"Klaus said you were a nurse during the First World War," she mentioned.

_Rebekah nodded, both surprised and intrigued that Klaus had divulged such information to her. _

"I was, but only to follow Nik. At that time, nursing was the only medical profession open to women. I am more interested in research," Rebekah explained.

_She sometimes forgot everything Klaus and his siblings had lived through over the centuries. _

_After she encouraged Rebekah to reveal all her hopes for the cure, she decided also to be the voice of reason. _

"You know things may not turn out as you plan," she reminded Rebekah, urging her to consider the potential negatives of taking a cure.

_Rebekah nodded. _

"I know that," Rebekah said. "But my mortality would force me to make the most of it," she concluded. "All I really want is to be normal."

"Have you ever told Klaus this?" she asked.

_Rebekah shook her head. _

"Nik, Kol, even Elijah; they're all too consumed by the power being immortal gives them. They wouldn't understand," Rebekah said decidedly.

"I'm sure if you told them what you told me they might," she offered.

_Rebekah shrugged pessimistically. _

"Even if they did, Nik would never give me the cure," Rebekah sighed.

"Why wouldn't he?" she countered.

"He wouldn't want to let me go. Nik is selfish," Rebekah replied. "Except with you, apparently."

_She glanced down bashfully at the original task at hand. _

"If he wouldn't give you the cure, Rebekah, then I doubt he would give it to me if I wanted it," she said.

_Rebekah didn't seem convinced. _

"He's made a lot of sacrifices for you, Caroline. You're probably the only one who could convince him to give up his hybrids. If you wanted the cure, he would give it to you - not without some persistence of course. Hell, he might even take the cure himself for you eventually," Rebekah carried on.

_She shook her head. _

"Well it doesn't matter anyways, because I don't want the cure," she said, pushing their conversation around full circle. "But if I have as much sway with him as you seem to think, I could try to put in a good word for you," she offered.

_The whole idea of Rebekah taking the cure was bittersweet to her. On the one hand, despite all of their drama, she genuinely wanted Rebekah to find happiness. On the other hand, she suspected she was feeling the selfishness that Rebekah claimed for Klaus. Despite all of their drama, she couldn't picture a time when Rebekah would not be here. _

_Rebekah eyed her hopefully. _

"You would do that?" Rebekah asked.

_She nodded simply. _

"If the cure is what you wanted, then I would," she answered.

_Rebekah offered no reply, preferring instead to let her confirmation digest as she returned to the work at her desk. _

_After devoting a while longer of writing out place cards, she found herself unable to let go of her conversation with Rebekah. It kept relentlessly nagging her every time she tried to concentrate on the task at hand. _

"Rebekah?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Rebekah replied.

_She hesitated. _

"What makes you so sure that Klaus would give me the cure if I wanted it?" she asked.

"He loves you," Rebekah stated.

"But he loves you too?" she countered.

"It's a different kind of love," Rebekah retorted. "And I don't mean because you're fucking him," Rebekah added with a laugh.

_She laughed alongside Rebekah, letting her smile linger a little too long as she allowed the warm feelings spurred on by Klaus's confession last night to overtake her. _

"Okay, spill," Rebekah urged.

_She snapped out of her blank but smiling stare and looked questioningly at Rebekah. _

"You've been smiling like a fool for the last five minutes," Rebekah said.

_She was about to reply when Rebekah interrupted her again. _

"I take it back. I don't want to know if it's anything sexual," Rebekah protested through squinted eyes.

_Rolling her eyes she fell back against the area rug with a huff. _

"Klaus said it last night," she said vaguely.

_Rebekah's eyebrow arched. _

"Said what?" Rebekah asked.

"He told me he loved me," she revealed, trying hard to contain her excitement as she finally had someone to share the news with.

_Rebekah's features softened and her lips parted with a hint of shock. _

"He was pretty drunk last night, Caroline," Rebekah reminded her cautiously.

_She shook her head. _

"He wasn't _that_ drunk," she reasoned.

"I haven't heard my brother use that word as anything but a term of endearment for centuries," Rebekah pointed out. "Did he say anything else?"

_Shrugging, she recalled him mentioning Katherine and Elijah. _

"He basically said that his love for me allowed him to understand where Elijah was coming from with Katherine," she explained.

_This revelation seemed to sway Rebekah's opinion in her favour. _

"Elijah loved that pesky doppelganger," Rebekah said loathingly.

"He wanted Klaus to try and spare her during the sacrifice," she added, remembering the story Elena had told her.

"And that's why; he loved her," Rebekah sighed. "Perhaps there was some honesty in what Nik said to you," she conceded. "He wouldn't have brought up a sore point between him and Elijah if there wasn't."

_She smiled at Rebekah's affirmation and they both returned to their work. _

_On occasion she would glance at her phone, wondering if she should text Klaus to check-in. His curiosity about the wolf had started to unnerve her. Sure, tracking a dead body in the woods seemed innocent enough on its own, but she knew Klaus suspected something malicious with the wolf's appearance in Mystic Falls. _

_Before she could send her text, she got a mail notification on her phone from Rebekah. _

_She glanced up at Rebekah who was busy fidgeting with her own phone. _

"Did you get my message?" Rebekah asked.

"Can't you just talk to me in person? I am sitting across from you?" she mused sarcastically as she opened the message.

_A smile hit her face instantly when she saw the photo Rebekah had taken of her with Klaus from the night before. _

_She couldn't help but laugh at how silly it actually looked now that she was sober. _

_Neither of them was actually looking at the camera. Klaus was looking down at her with one of his infamous smirks that showed off his dimples; and she didn't even know where she was looking - off into space she supposed. _

"You need to frame that one," Rebekah chortled.

"Maybe a soberer re-shoot is in order?" she suggested as she made the photo her phone's wallpaper.

_Rebekah smirked. _

"It's a cute photo, actually," Rebekah conceded. "Very 'in the moment.'"

_As Rebekah's phone started to complain, she took a moment to send Klaus a message. _

"Taryn is downstairs. She has the tables set up for us to take a look at," Rebekah informed her.

* * *

_Elijah parked the SUV on the side of the road where Caroline's car had been the night before._

_It looked different in the daylight; almost unrecognizable to how he remembered it. _

_Truthfully, he hadn't taken much time to make note of his surroundings after he found Caroline. His main priority had been getting her out of there and back to the house so he could heal her. _

_He stepped out of the vehicle and greeted Elijah who emerged from the driver's side. _

"It's nice to see you dressed down for the occasion, brother," he joked, unsurprised by the fact that Elijah was still in a dress shirt and pants under his jacket.

_Elijah shrugged nonchalantly as Stefan slid out of the backseat. _

"You look a little worse for wear, mate," he chuckled.

_Stefan shot him a snide look as he stretched. _

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe Stefan drank his way through half the bar's supply after you retired with Caroline. I found him late this morning buckled over on one of the sofas in the parlour," Elijah mused.

_He smirked at the thought as Stefan grew a defensive look at both him and Elijah. _

_Scoffing, he patted Stefan on the back. _

"Aw, we should take it easy on poor Stefan, brother," he decided. "Certainly we're both aware of the woes women can bring. Stefan certainly handled himself better than I would have," he stated, thinking briefly to his and Elijah's affair with Tatia.

_Elijah nodded. _

"We nearly killed each other once or twice," Elijah acknowledged.

"Tatia?" Stefan concluded with an intrigued look on his face.

"Indeed," Elijah replied. "But that is in the past now," he added, exchanging a knowing look with him.

_Stefan shrugged as they approached the tree line. _

"I feel like murdering Damon, hence why I drank enough to render myself immobile," Stefan admitted.

_He laughed at Stefan's confession as it trudged up memories of their mostly care-free days in the twenties. _

"We could stop at the boarding house if you like. You know I don't much care for Damon," he offered, semi-jokingly.

"Don't encourage him, Niklaus," Elijah chided with an amused grin.

"Yeah, don't encourage me," Stefan glared at him, clearly mocking the way Elijah talked to him like an older brother would.

_He gave Stefan a light shove forwards, nearly causing him to stumble over some of the staggered terrain. _

"Surely Stefan knows the bond of brotherhood is more important than the love of a woman," Elijah shrugged.

_He mimicked Elijah's gesture. _

"You would think, but it would appear the Salvatores learnt nothing from Katherine," he said, garnering him a disapproving glare from Stefan. "It would seem you are the only one, Elijah."

_Elijah went noticeably quiet with his last comment. _

_His mind went his profession of love for Caroline. He understood why Elijah had acted so seemingly irrational with Katherine; why he tried to spare her life and appease him all at once. Elijah loved Katherine, but in the end she betrayed him__._

_Not since Tatia had Elijah opened himself up like that to a woman, and that had been the last time. Elijah had resigned himself to a life of solitude much like he himself had for all of his vampire life...that was until Caroline. _

_He wondered if he and Caroline would share the same fate as Elijah and Katherine. Perhaps this all had been much too good to be true. _

_Certainly fate would dictate that if Caroline were to ever betray him it would be now that he had confessed his love for her. _

_He brushed the moment of insecurity aside. He told her earlier that he harboured no regrets and he meant it. _

_If his moment of vulnerability came to backfire on him, he would address it if it happened. _

_He tried hard not to dwell on it. For if he did, he knew he would only grow bitter and detached. _

"I forgot Katherine manipulated you too," Stefan scowled.

_Elijah sighed. _

"I loved her once," Elijah admitted. "As I'm certain you did."

"And it's that love that almost tore us apart a second time," he interjected.

_Elijah glared at him. _

"It didn't have to," Elijah said simply, clearly referring to the plan the witches had devised to spare the doppelganger.

_He shrugged. _

"It's no matter now. She betrayed you when she ran," he replied. "She destroyed you, not me, brother," he defended himself.

"True enough," Elijah acknowledged.

"Katherine always was a selfish bitch," Stefan mused as they continued to walk.

_Both he and Elijah smirked. _

"Something all the doppelgangers seem to have in common," he joked.

_He could see Stefan's jaw clench and he knew he was pushing it with the younger Salvatore. _

"Come on Stefan," he chuckled, "you know deep down its true - even about Elena. Personally, I think you and Damon should wash your hands of the entire thing and move on. It won't end well for either of you whether or not Elena takes the cure," he warned.

"It's easier said than done, Klaus. You and Elijah both know that," Stefan countered.

_He arched an eyebrow as Elijah looked at Stefan passively. _

"Do we?" he wondered.

_Stefan nodded. _

"You and your brother don't exactly have a great track record of taking your own medicine," Stefan explained.

_He paused for a moment, knowing Stefan had a point; knowing that at this point he was in too deep with Caroline, and despite being aware of the risks, he could never wash his hands of her. _

"I mean even if Elena took the cure and it was revealed that her feelings for Damon were only a product of the sire bond, your relationship with Damon would suffer. Moreover, Elena would eventually succumb to her mortality," he continued. "Is it really worth it?"

_Stefan shrugged as a pensive expression crossed his face. _

_He tried quickly to decipher it, a smile appearing on his own face once he did. _

"You want to take the cure for her?" he inquired curiously.

_He looked to a hesitant Elijah. _

_Stefan shook his head. _

"I don't want to take the cure just for Elena. I'd want to take it for myself too - regardless of her feelings for me," Stefan claimed.

"Really?" he said intrigued. "So even if it still turned out that Elena's feelings for Damon were real, you would still want to take the cure and become a powerless mortal?"

_Stefan nodded. _

"We both know I'm not cut out for this life," Stefan said.

"Are any of us really?" Elijah interjected. "This is a significant choice."

"A choice I didn't have when Katherine turned me in the first place," Stefan said.

_He smirked. _

"A choice that you still don't have since I'll be the one obtaining the cure," he mused.

_Both Elijah and Stefan glared at him and things went silent for a few moments as Stefan considered how to reply. _

"Would you give Caroline a choice?" Stefan asked.

_He scoffed at Stefan's weak attempt to get under his skin. _

"She doesn't want it," he answered. "She likes being a vampire."

_Stefan crossed his arms and his eyebrow arched with suspicion and surprise. _

"What if she did? Would you give it to her?" Stefan questioned.

_He remained silent. _

"Would you give it to her if she wanted it?" Stefan interrogated. "You would, wouldn't you?"

_He rolled his eyes dismissively. _

"I would, is that what you wanted to hear?" he relented, staring Stefan down. "If she wanted it badly enough, then I would give her the cure," he said. "Christ," he complained uncomfortably.

_Stefan's expression relaxed into one of satisfaction as he made eye contact with Elijah. _

"So then what's it to you if I stay a vampire or become human?" Stefan asked.

_He shrugged with a sigh. _

"The grass isn't always greener on the other side, Stefan. I don't want you to make a mistake," he seethed.

"Well then like Caroline, it's my mistake to make, isn't it?" Stefan retorted, clearly annoyed by the fact that he was holding the cure over his head.

"Surely there would be no harm in letting Stefan take the cure, brother," Elijah pointed out.

_He grumbled under his breath at Elijah's attempt to undermine him. _

"I suppose it would mean one less vampire I'd have to worry about stabbing me in the back," he muttered, stepping ahead of both Stefan and Elijah as they neared the spot where he had killed the wolf.

_His cell phone started to sound from his coat pocket soon afterwards. It was a text from Caroline. _

_He went to read it, but his cell phone was ripped from his hands as his body was seized by a rope net that quickly pulled him up and suspended him from a thick tree branch. _

_The sudden entrapment disoriented him and he winced as he grabbed the ropes to regain his bearings. _

"There's vervain on the ropes," he scowled, staring down at a bewildered Stefan and Elijah who were scanning around them for any other traps or threats. "She will literally be the death of me," he hissed amusedly as he noticed his phone on the ground.

_Stefan smirked as he picked up the phone. _

"Caroline wants to know if everything is all right," Stefan laughed as he read the text message he himself had just been about to read. "She also says that she's going to hold you to your promise later tonight, and she added a winky face," Stefan added mockingly.

_He tried his best to ignore Stefan's teasing as he covered his hands in the material of his jacket and grabbed onto the ropes. _

"Maybe I should reply," Stefan teased.

"Fuck off, mate, and help me down," he demanded as he tried to crouch up enough to bust the ropes with his foot.

"The spot where Caroline was attacked is close by," Elijah said from a few feet away as Stefan began to climb the tree. "I can smell her blood."

_He took a second to focus on his sense of smell, instantly picking up the scent of her blood as Elijah had observed. _

With another slam of his foot, he was able to exert enough force to snap the thick branch and break the rope cage on his own. Expecting the fall, he landed on his feet as the former rope cage open and pooled underneath him.

_He brushed himself off before smiling up at Stefan, who had now climbed the tree for nothing. _

_Stefan jumped down from the tree effortlessly, giving him a snide look before stepping forwards. _

_He anticipated it before Stefan could even blink, and he extended his arm to halt Stefan much to his chagrin. _

_Stefan had almost walked right into another booby trap consisting of a trip wire that would have released, from what he could tell, wooden stakes carved from nearby branches. _

_He motioned his head to the ground and Stefan followed suit, soon noticing the trip wire and the stakes. _

_A look of realization spread across Stefan's face and he gave him an appreciative nod as they stepped over the trap and Elijah followed them cautiously. _

"This is where I killed the wolf," he said, pointing down to a darkened spot of dirt and a blood-stained rock.

"The body's gone," both Elijah and Stefan noted.

_He gritted his teeth in frustration as he kicked at the dirt. _

"The scent is too diluted. I don't recognize it," he said as he struggled to make sense of it. "There's a female and a male wolf. I think," he described.

"But there was only one wolf. You're not picking up Caroline's scent, are you?" Stefan inquired. "Her blood is here too."

_He shook his head. _

"So that means if the wolf you killed was a male, there was female wolf present after the fact, or vice versa," Elijah concluded.

"Mates, perhaps, or pack members" he suggested.

"And what about the traps?" Stefan wondered.

"The hunter," he stated. "Trip wires seem to be his style," he explained, thinking back to his adventure with Caroline in the hunter's hotel room. "He suspected someone would be back. He knew about this."

_Both Stefan and Elijah were busy pondering. _

"You think the hunter has a connection to the wolf?" Stefan wondered.

_He shrugged. _

"I think a talk with the Council is in order, brother," he said to Elijah.

_Elijah appeared reluctant. _

"We don't know for a fact that this had anything to do with the hunter, Niklaus. The Five usually like to advertise their work. I saw no symbols on those haphazardly carved stakes back there," Elijah pointed out. "Maybe this is another threat altogether. Perhaps they want you to believe it was the hunter?" Elijah suggested.

_He considered Elijah's words. _

"So are you saying we should do nothing?" He asked Elijah incredulously.

"No, but I think we should lay low and proceed with caution. If we react overzealously and overconfidently we could lose the hunter and put everyone in even greater danger," Elijah recommended. "Our priority should be capturing the hunter."

_He exhaled impatiently, knowing Elijah was probably right. _

"I think Elijah is right," Stefan agreed.

_He glared at Stefan before conceding to his brother. _

"Fine, we'll focus on the hunter," he said, "but I want you to withdraw your municipal funding. Let's see if a fiscal crisis will motivate the Council to be more cooperative."

_With a consensus reached, they lingered in the woods awhile longer, curious to see if the person or persons behind the traps would emerge. _

_However, they had no such luck. With his patience waning and daylight fading, the three of them departed._

* * *

_After dropping Stefan off at the boarding house he and Elijah returned home. _

_He groaned when he noticed Adrian's car parked out front. _

"Perhaps he has my suit," Elijah wondered as he pulled the vehicle in behind Adrian's.

_He scoffed as he climbed out of the car. _

"That's doubtful. Rebekah probably has him obsessing over her prom dress," he concluded.

"You're probably right," Elijah agreed.

_They stepped inside and he was relieved to see the house had been cleared of all birthday evidence from last night. _

_There were, however, a few decorated tables on display. _

_He eyed them suspiciously. _

"These must be some options for prom," Elijah noted. "Rebekah mentioned something earlier about the event planning company that we hired to do your birthday being the same one helping with prom."

_He looked over the brocade and damask table linens, the varying upholstered chairs, along with the variety of colourful flower arrangements and candles. _

"It looks like they're really going all out," Elijah observed.

_Nodding passively, he couldn't help but notice a crate of paintings off to the side. _

_He clenched his jaw as he inspected the paintings. Most of them belonged to him - some of them were Rebekah's. _

"I see Rebekah's taken the liberty of bringing out some of the eighteenth century artwork for the occasion without consulting me," he grumbled. "If any one of these pieces is ruined by the teenaged rift-raft brought into the house I will not hesitate to slaughter the bloody lot of them, including our dear sister," he threatened as an amused Elijah listened.

"Do you really think the majority of these kids have an appreciation for fine art, Niklaus? They probably can't even tell the difference between a Picasso and a da Vinci. I doubt they'll even notice Rebekah's eye for detail to get close enough to cause any damage," Elijah laughed.

_He shrugged as he focused in his hearing for the location of his sister and Caroline. _

_They were in the sitting room off his study as they had been during their last meeting with Adrian. He could hear them laughing. _

"I'm going to talk to Caroline," he informed Elijah.

_The doors to the room were closed when he approached, but he disregarded it and opened them anyways. _

_All three of them gasped in surprise. _

_He himself sucked in a breath unexpectedly. _

_Rebekah was neatly fitted into her prom gown with Adrian tightening the corset laces, while Caroline was standing at the far end of the room in front of the large mirror in the corner, the back of her dress clipped. _

"You're back," Caroline said, eyeing him through the mirror.

"Nik, what the hell?" Rebekah scolded.

"What?" he asked annoyed. "This is a common room in the house."

"I could have been changing," Rebekah cried.

"In front of Adrian and Caroline?" he laughed before nodding to Adrian as an informal greeting.

_Rebekah scoffed. _

"So what do you think?" Rebekah asked, a now high pitched voice replacing the spiteful one.

_Rebekah pulled away from Adrian and twirled around to show it off. _

_The pale blue dress featured a faintly embroidered laced corset and a billowing skirt of silk and tulle. _

"If you were trying to embody the very best of eighteenth century fashion excess, than I suppose you have succeeded," he said jovially as Rebekah shot him a nasty look.

_He chuckled as she rolled her eyes, fully knowing that he was joking with her. _

"Caroline, I need to speak with you," he said as he looked over Rebekah's shoulder.

"Did you find the wol..." Rebekah attempted to ask before he silenced her with a sharp glare.

_He motioned his head towards Adrian. _

_Rebekah nodded with a bit of annoyance before Caroline stepped forward. _

"I need to change out of this anyways. Adrian still needs to take it in a little more and put in the zipper. My clothes are in your study," she confessed as she moved past both Rebekah and Adrian.

_He followed her, closing the doors behind them as they entered. _

"Unclip me?" she requested as she stood in front of the upholstered chair her clothes - and what he assumed were Rebekah's clothes - were draped over. "I can't reach the top one," she laughed.

_He obliged readily, the prospect of seeing her half-naked a secondary thought as he approached. _

_Gazing over the back of the dress, the image of how it looked from the front crossed his mind. _

_The ivory cream coloured dress fit her like a glove; the ruched bodice hugged her waist flawlessly. The crystal embellishment along the sweetheart neckline accentuated her perfect cleavage, while the bustled skirt flowed down from her hips in a whimsical way. She looked practically angelic, he thought. _

"It looks good," he said casually as he removed the clips for her from the back of the dress.

"Hmm?" she asked, obviously not with him on his train of thought.

"The dress," he clarified as he tossed the clips aside on his desk.

_He didn't have to see her face to know that she was smiling. _

"Well it is the one you picked...sort of," she chuckled. "Adrian kind of put two designs together," she explained as she shimmied herself out of the dress, giving him a lovely view of her matching pink bra and boy-shorts.

_Allowing her to dress, he took a seat at his desk. _

"What happened this afternoon?" she asked. "I texted you."

_He smirked with a shrug as she slipped into her jeans and blouse. _

"I got a little tied up," he mused, "quite literally."

"What?" she asked worriedly.

_She leaned against his desk. _

"The body wasn't there, but there were a few traps in its place," he told her. "We waited to see if the culprit would show, but nothing."

"The hunter?" she half asked, half suggested. "Do you think the hunter has a connection to the wolf?"

_He nodded as he clasped his hands and pressed them to his lips. _

"I think so, but I can't be certain," he replied.

_Her eyebrows furrowed as she extended her hands questioningly. _

"Who else could it be?" she wondered, sounding almost annoyed as he first did.

_He shrugged. _

"Elijah wants us to err on the side of caution. This could be a separate issue entirely. Our focus on the hunter could be causing us to confound the two," he said.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

_He ran his hands long the surface of his desk. _

"Well since we don't have to worry about wolves until the next full moon, we're going to lie low and keep our focus on the hunter," he told her.

_She nodded. _

"I'll talk to my mom and see if she can find out any more leads on the hunter," she offered as he opened the bottom drawer of his desk, recalling the item from yesterday he had yet to destroy.

_His eyes widened and his body went frigid as he peered inside. _

"Klaus, what is it?" Caroline asked alarmed.

_He swallowed hard and looked up at her. _

"The white oak stake is gone," he replied darkly.

* * *

**A/N: So shout out to the real Vampire Diaries show for those trap ideas, :D **

**Also, if any of you were wondering what Caroline's prom dress/outfit sort of looks like, or perhaps what will inspire Klaus's outfit, I have hastily put together a collage, which I'll probably post on my tumblr, I haven't decided yet if I'm gonna post it now as a sort of teaser or post it with the actual chapter. I've also considered doing one for Rebekah, but since no specific dress inspired me, it's going to be hard to find one dress that resembles what I depicted. I may still put some pictures together though to give you an idea. **


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: So it looks like I'm on track to break 1,000 reviews with this fan-fiction before it's completed, and I know it gets repetitive, but thank you so much for taking the time to pass along some encouraging words. I appreciate it, as do I appreciate anyone who has read this story/favourited/followed etc. You all are pretty swell. **

**Anyways, if you've been following me on tumblr, then this update is a little late - but since I haven't slept yet, I'm still technically updating in the timeframe I said I would.  
**

**When I started the next update, I had intended for one long chapter, but this seemed like a natural break. So, expect one more filler chapter before prom. The next update shouldn't take too long since I'm already a little over half-way done.**

**We're coming close to the end folks. I expect three/four chapters to follow after this one.  
**

**This is an angsty, fluff and feels chapter. You were warned.  
**

**Enjoy and pass me along your thoughts if you have a minute! :)  
**

* * *

_She looked at him worriedly as his entire demeanour seemed to shift on a dime. _

_One second he had been calm and collected and the next he was fuming with anger. _

"It has to be here," she said to him, "this is where you left it."

_She began to scan the room as he stood up angrily from his chair. _

"It's not here!" he shouted. "I put it in that drawer," he hissed. "I should have burned it last night," he scowled as he stormed towards the study doors.

_Following him reluctantly with her dress, she was stunned when he lunged at Rebekah. _

_He pinned Rebekah up against the wall, holding her by the neck. _

"Where is it!?" he demanded.

_Adrian stood up clearly bewildered. _

"What are you talking about?" Rebekah choked out.

"The white oak stake! Where is it?" Klaus badgered.

_He pushed her harder into the wall. _

"I don't have the stake," Rebekah cried as she fought against Klaus's hold.

"Klaus! Stop!" she urged him, stepping forward. "She doesn't have it," she said, attempting to reach out and pull him back.

_She jumped when his head shot around to glare at her. His eyes were burning threateningly. Frightened, she receded. _

_Before things could escalate further, Elijah flashed into the room and violently pushed Klaus away from Rebekah. _

"Niklaus, what the hell are you doing!?" Elijah shouted as he stood in between him and Rebekah.

_With Elijah mediating between Klaus and Rebekah, she took it upon herself to compel Adrian to leave, handing him her unfinished prom dress and to forget what he saw. _

"The white oak stake is missing," Klaus growled, his chest heaving with anger.

_Elijah looked to Rebekah. _

"I don't have it," she spat defensively.

"She doesn't," she interjected, coming to Rebekah's aid.

_Klaus eyed her suspiciously. _

"Rebekah didn't even know about the stake until I told her this afternoon, and even then she didn't know where you put it. Plus, I was with her the whole time!" she explained.

"You both changed into your dresses in my study, surely Rebekah had time to snoop around then," Klaus pointed out.

_Rebekah scoffed. _

"I had to help her get into her dress. I was with her the _entire_ time," she emphasized. "She doesn't have the stake," she repeated.

"See, Nik?" Rebekah said, crossing her arms bitterly. "I don't have the stupid stake."

"Well somebody does," Klaus hissed.

"Kol has been out all day. Moreover, he doesn't even know about the deal you made with Damon and Elena," Elijah pointed out.

_Rebekah glared at her before looking to Klaus. _

"Maybe you should ask your girlfriend? Or Elijah?" Rebekah said, playing devil's advocate.

_Her eyebrows furrowed at Rebekah's complete disregard at her effort to defend her. _

"I mean, you've completely looked past them both," Rebekah continued.

_Klaus's jaw and fists clenched as he looked between her and Elijah. _

_She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. _

"Seriously? Why would I take it?" she scowled. "I've been here the entire day, Rebekah should be able to vouch for that," she added, narrowing her eyes at Rebekah.

_Rebekah nodded reluctantly. _

_Still, she felt like Klaus was staring her down with suspicion. _

"Search my things if you want," she offered with a shrug.

_Klaus looked to Elijah who shook his head promptly. _

"I offer the same as Caroline, brother," Elijah said. "I didn't take the white oak stake. What motive would I have?" he posited.

_Sighing in frustration, Klaus looked at Elijah. _

"Don't make me regret this," Klaus said with a pointed finger as he headed for the hall determinedly.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

_Klaus gave no reply save for the slamming of the front doors. _

_She looked worriedly both at Elijah and Rebekah. _

"The Salvatores'," Elijah concluded.

* * *

_Both she and Elijah raced to the boarding house in an effort to intercept Klaus who seemed set on doing something rash. _

_When they arrived, they found a groaning Damon on the foyer floor with what looked to be a chair leg lodged like a wooden stake in his stomach. _

_She could hear Elena pleading with Klaus to stop from the Salvatore living room. _

_Bolting into the room, she found Klaus astride Stefan, pinning him down to the floor with one hand around his neck and the other holding what appeared to be another splintered chair leg against his chest. _

_Elena glanced at her pleadingly as Elijah arrived behind her. _

"Thought you'd steal the stake to bargain for the cure for yourself, didn't you, _mate_?" Klaus hissed.

_Stefan shook his head and mouthed out a "no." _

"How many times do I have to remind you fools that if you kill me, you kill yourselves?" Klaus scowled. "Or maybe you thought you'd threaten to kill one of my siblings, Elijah? Kol? Rebekah maybe? Hmm?" Klaus spat.

"Damon already told you we made that deal in good faith. Stefan and Damon both want to find the cure for me. Why would they jeopardize that by alienating you?" Elena reasoned.

"Elena is right, Klaus," she spoke up, eyeing Elena apologetically.

"I found Stefan sleeping on the sofa this morning and I was with him until the three of us left. He doesn't have the stake," Elijah said.

_Damon stepped into the room behind Elena, a blood stain visible on the white shirt he was wearing where Klaus's makeshift stake had been buried. _

_She approached Klaus apprehensively. _

_Extending her hand, she touched his shoulder, uncertain about his reaction. _

"Klaus, come on," she urge softly. "He doesn't have the stake. None of us do," she said.

_He kept still above Stefan for a few moments longer before dropping the stake in his hand and releasing Stefan's neck. _

_She stepped back and let her hand fall down his back as he stood up. _

_Stefan stood up cautiously with his eyes set on any sudden movements from Klaus. _

"We don't want that stake out there somewhere any more than you do, Klaus," Stefan said warily, keeping his distance. "If you're at risk, then all of us are at risk," he added, looking around the room.

_Klaus exhaled with a frustrated sigh before helping himself to the decanter of liquor on the sofa table. _

"Indeed, you are," Klaus mumbled before swallowing down the entire contents in the glass he just poured. "Assuming none of you are lying through your teeth," he started as he began to pace the room, "someone else out there has the stake in their possession."

"Any ideas?" Damon pondered.

_Klaus shrugged. _

"Whoever it was knew about the existence of the white oak stake, and they had a pretty good idea of where to find it," Elijah suggested.

"Which is precisely why I am having trouble believing it wasn't one of you lot," Klaus groaned as he slammed his glass back down on the table. "But, if we're going to start tossing out other names here, my bet is on this hunter fellow, Connor Jordan," he said, "which means we need to find him before he finds us."

"How do you propose we do that?" Damon asked critically with crossed arms.

_Klaus shrugged. _

"He seems to have a knack for evading us. He's done so several times. Elijah is working on the Council," he said.

"And I'm gonna talk to my mom about tracking down any leads," she offered.

_Damon, Stefan, and Elena all seemed unconvinced. _

"Why don't we just round up the human citizens of Mystic Falls and threaten a mass killing if the hunter doesn't give himself up. That sounds easy enough," Damon suggested.

_Klaus smirked at his idea. _

"We can't deal with this impulsively," Elijah said. "If we are too reckless we could lose our chance at capturing him."

"Or if we don't act we could all end up dead," Damon retorted.

_Elijah sneered at Damon _

"If we accept for a moment that it was the hunter who took the white oak stake and that it was the hunter whose traps we encountered earlier today, then we can conclude that the hunter is growing bolder. Giving him a false sense of security may be the way we finally get him," Elijah pointed out.

_Damon scowled at Elijah's suggestion of a careful approach. _

"Elijah is right," Klaus finally said, putting Damon in his place. "And the last time I checked, you're doing things our way," he reminded Damon. "If you choose to make any scenes, our deal is off. Moreover, if I find out that one of you took the stake, I already told you how I would permanently end the sire bond," Klaus hissed as he turned to leave, making eye contact with her as he did.

_Both she and Elijah followed Klaus with their eyes as he left. _

"My apologies for my brother's imprudent behaviour this evening," Elijah said to them. "We'll keep you informed," he added before disappearing after Klaus.

_Damon jeered at no one in particular as they heard the front door the house open and close. _

"It was great to see you too. Thanks for stopping by," Damon mumbled sarcastically as he moved to the table Klaus had previously been at to pour himself a drink.

_Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the impromptu stake on the carpet - a reminder of Klaus's violent behaviour towards Stefan. _

"Are you okay?" she asked Stefan_. _

_He nodded. _

"Is Stefan okay?" Damon asked incredulously. "Hybrid Ken is the one who staked me in the stomach with an antique chair leg," he scowled. "I'm fine though, thanks for asking."

_She scoffed at Damon before noticing the faint smirk playing on Stefan's lips. Stabbing Damon in the stomach was probably something Stefan had inwardly wanted to do for a while now. _

"You know how he can be, Stefan," she said, referring to Klaus, disregarding a self-pitying Damon and a bewildered Elena.

"Psycho-murdery?" Damon interjected.

"No...vulnerable and insecure," she corrected. "You haven't exactly given him a million reasons to trust you," she added, thinking back to their attempts to kill him and then have him desiccated.

"We understand," Stefan said.

_Damon's brows furrowed. _

"We do?" Damon asked.

_Stefan nodded. _

"After all we've tried to do to Klaus in the past why wouldn't he suspect us? I mean, if you were him Damon who would you confront if the white oak stake went missing?" Stefan inquired.

_Damon shrugged, conceding Stefan's point. _

"I would probably confront everyone," Damon acknowledged.

"There was a time when you didn't trust Stefan," Elena spoke up.

_Damon nodded reluctantly. _

"And empathizing with Klaus is now over in three...two...one," Damon mused as he lifted his glass to his lips.

_Stefan eyed her apologetically. _

_She knew this was about as much of an understanding she would get - particularly out of Damon and Elena - so she decided it was her cue to leave. Besides, the tension between Stefan, Damon, and Elena was palpable. _

"I should go," she stated.

_Stefan went to follow her but Elena stepped forward and obstructed his way._

_She stopped and looked between Stefan and Elena a little startled. _

"I'll see Caroline out," Elena offered.

_She nodded politely, trying to hide her surprise as she turned for the foyer of the house. _

"He listens to you," Elena said vaguely as they reached the hallway, "Klaus."

_She turned around to face Elena. _

"You got him to back down tonight, so thank you," Elena continued. "And thank you for convincing him to help us find the cure," she added.

"I-I..." she stammered, unsure of what to say to Elena's unusual conciliatory words.

"I know, you didn't do it for me," Elena assumed. "It still means a lot though after everything. You didn't have to convince him at all," she said. "But you did."

_She nodded as she tried to discern whether Elena was being sincere or if she was simply trying to fulfill the terms of her agreement with Klaus. _

"And I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but I know that neither Damon nor Stefan have the white oak stake," Elena told her.

_She nodded once more. _

"I know...and I think Klaus knows that too," she replied.

_Elena smiled at her meekly. _

"Bye, Elena," she said simply before leaving.

* * *

_Outside she found Elijah waiting for her, leaning against the brick of the porch as he stared across the front lawn and into the darkness._

_It was raining faintly. _

"Elena sounded like she was making an effort," Elijah noted as he turned around to greet her.

"I guess," she agreed reluctantly. "You didn't have to wait for me," she said as they began to walk down the driveway.

_Elijah shrugged as he removed his jacket and offered it to her to shield herself from the barely falling rain. She accepted it with a thank you. _

"Waiting was of no inconvenience. Niklaus requested that I escort you back," he informed her.

_She arched one of her eyebrows incredulously, both annoyed by the notion that she needed a chaperone and by the fact that Klaus had selected someone other than himself. _

"And Klaus could not accompany me himself?" she wondered.

_Elijah clasped his hands behind his back. _

"As you saw, he's in one of his infamous moods. He's better when he's had some space...some time to himself, as you know," Elijah said.

_She nodded, fully aware of what Klaus's moods could be like. It wasn't something she wanted to be around, so she supposed he did her a service. As Elijah said, he would be better when he had time to calm down. _

"Try not to take it personally," Elijah said.

"I'm learning not to," she answered.

"I was referring more to my brother's display of mistrust this evening towards you, towards me and everyone else," Elijah clarified.

"I'm trying not to," she said.

"You have to understand the kind of life Niklaus has led for the past millennium," Elijah started. "His early life was marked by the betrayal of our father. He himself was the product of our mother's betrayal. His life as a vampire has been scarred by deceit from those who have attempted to undermine him. He's perceived deception in each of his siblings' actions - even where there was none - including my own. Our mother wanted us dead. It is in his nature to suspect duplicity. He expects that eventually each one of us will let him down," Elijah explained.

_She sighed. _

"That's tragic," she said.

"Indeed, it is. Trust is not a quality Niklaus possesses readily. His first instinct is to second guess everyone, even you...even me. I do not foresee things ever being any different. He questions us because he values our loyalty most. Our deception would be the ultimate betrayal," Elijah continued. "Deep down he wants to believe that we would never double-cross him - and a part of him truly does - but it's what he fears most. His insecurity is only exacerbated by this situation with the hunter."

"I would never betray him. The last thing I want to do is hurt him," she confessed.

_Elijah nodded. _

"Niklaus prizes actions over words. If you stand by him despite his flaws he will come to believe your intent all the more," Elijah informed her. "The sacrifices you have made already are not lost on Niklaus."

"Thank you," she said, genuinely appreciating Elijah's reassurance.

"As for me, I'm not sure I'll ever regain my brother's complete trust," Elijah admitted with a regretful sigh.

_She frowned as she dwelled on that prospect. _

"He obviously trusts you with me," she offered.

_Elijah smiled appreciatively before looking off into the night. _

"It has to do with Katherine, doesn't it?" she assumed aloud as Elijah confirmed her suspicion.

"Yes, Katerina," Elijah said. "He thought I had intended for her to run. I surmise a part of him still believes that."

_She shook her head. _

"I don't think he does," she told him.

_Elijah looked at her curiously. _

"What makes you so certain?" he inquired.

_She shrugged with a faint smile. _

"Just something he said last night," she offered cryptically.

"He discusses Katerina with you?" Elijah asked surprised.

"That was the first time," she admitted. "He understands why you wanted to try and save her along with breaking his curse," she clarified.

_Elijah's ears perked up and he seemed even more intrigued. _

"Because he loves you," Elijah concluded under his breath, finishing her thought for her.

_She nodded. _

"And because of that, he truly understands what motivated you then," she added.

"Because I love...loved her," Elijah finished.

_They walked silently for a few moments. _

"Niklaus professed his love for you?" he asked.

"He did," she said softly.

_A grin appeared on Elijah's face. _

"Perhaps he has more faith in you than you know," Elijah inferred, "if he's entrusted you with his heart."

* * *

_She and Elijah used their vampire speed the rest of the way back to the house after another one of their familial heart to hearts that she had become so fond of. _

_It had crossed her mind once or twice to ask Elijah what his plans were once it was time for her and Klaus to leave Mystic Falls. She didn't expect him to tag along with them. Surely he had his own immortal life to live, but the impending estrangement from him unnerved her. On a basic level she would miss him as anyone would miss a good friend or sibling. Increasingly though, she had come to rely on Elijah for support when it came to Klaus. He was the only one who seemed to have a keen grasp at all whatsoever on Klaus. She and Klaus had never really been alone together for more than a couple of hours. Would she be able to handle his complexity on her own? Would he be able to handle her? _

_Of course, she wouldn't be entirely alone. Thanks to modern technology she could keep in contact with Elijah and everyone else she thought, as she climbed the stairs to Klaus's room with a glass of blood in hand. _

_Rebekah stopped her in the hall before she entered the bedroom to inquire about Klaus's whereabouts and their mission to the Salvatore boarding house. She only gave her a brief summary, still annoyed by how Rebekah chose to express her anger over being singled out by Klaus earlier. _

_Klaus had not returned home yet despite having left the Salvatores' before she and Elijah had. _

_His absence concerned her, but she tried to concentrate on what Elijah said about him needing space. Still, the white oak stake was out there somewhere, and while Klaus was obviously capable of taking care of himself that thought worried her. _

_She had already gone through grieving his death once. She didn't want to mourn for him again. She didn't believe his death was something she could survive at this point. She really didn't have to worry about that though anyways, because she knew wouldn't survive it. Eventually, after all the vampires who descended from his bloodline before her followed in his footsteps and ceased to live, she would ultimately succumb to her own death. Strangely, she took comfort in that. Klaus had become her future and without him she had nothing. She would rather meet him in death than roam alone for centuries. _

_In lieu of Klaus's absence, she took the time to call her mother and inform her of the latest turn of events. She also spent time on homework she needed to catch up on - including the homework Klaus had assigned. _

_It was just past eleven o'clock when she decided to get ready for bed. The previous night's activities coupled with the lack of sleep influenced her choice. _

_She wanted to wait up for Klaus but knew trying to sleep instead was the better option. She texted him a goodnight message before she opted to get ready for bed. She couldn't let her worry for him consume her. _

_Assuming he wouldn't mind, she slipped into one of his t-shirts - oversized for her body - for her pyjamas and the headed for the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth. _

_When she emerged from the bathroom she was both relieved and surprised to find Klaus sitting on the bed._

_He looked up at her as she stared back at him from the corridor. _

"Hey," she said faintly, trying to ignore the scent of fresh blood that had entered the room with him, along with the questionable red droplets on his t-shirt.

_Her first instinct was to question where he had been and what he had been doing, but she decided to leave it be. That was what trust was. She trusted him. Her second instinct was to call him out for his earlier behaviour, but her talk with Elijah kept her lips sealed on the issue. _

"I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed one of your shirts," she said laughingly, hoping to lighten the air between them as she climbed onto the bed behind him.

"Its fine," he murmured as he removed his cell phone from his jacket pocket and placed it on the nightstand.

_That prompted her to check her own phone. He had actually responded to her text from earlier, with an assurance that he was on his way back. She smiled inwardly at the gesture. _

"Sorry I missed your message, I was probably getting ready for bed," she said.

_He nodded. _

_She played awkwardly with her phone for a few seconds that felt like minutes before deciding to take some initiative. _

_Rising onto her knees, she rested directly behind him, pulling back on the collar of his jacket to remove it for him. _

_Being this close to him she inhaled further the scent of blood, but also the outdoors; he smelled like trees and rain. Hence why his hair was damp, she thought. _

_Responsive to her actions, he pulled his arms from the sleeves of his jacket with a sigh. _

"It was wrong of me to have accused you earlier," he finally spoke as he dropped his jacket to the floor.

_Knowing he was working himself up to say more, she kept quiet as she lifted the hem of his stained t-shirt over his stomach, chest, and head. _

_He slid it off his arms and placed it in the same pile as his jacket. _

"In my anger I jumped to conclusions. I overreacted," he explained.

_She ran her hands up the bare skin of his back tenderly before draping her arms over his shoulders as she embraced him from behind. _

_He seemed to relax against her as she kissed his neck gingerly before resting her chin there in place of her lips. _

"I would never hurt you," she assured him simply. "I love you, Nik," she whispered.

_The both of them tensed at the name she had let slip. It wasn't intentional on her part; his name had just escaped her lips that way. _

"I know," he said, his body resuming its languid posture.

"Do you?" she asked meekly, only hoping to open up a dialogue and not an argument.

_He swallowed hard. _

"I trust that more than anything else," he admitted.

_It wasn't an absolute vote of confidence in her on his part, but it was something; and something was better than nothing coming from him, particularly in this regard. His confession was significant to her. It meant something to her. With time, she would continue to prove her loyalty so that he would come to trust in her completely. _

_She pulled back a little to rub her hands against his shoulders. _

_He moaned quietly under his breath in appreciation. _

"I needed to clear my head tonight. I needed to hunt; to feed," he revealed to her.

_His words alarmed her, but she remained calm, as she kneaded his skin with her hands. _

"I know," she sighed, focusing on the fact that he had even decided to tell her about it in the first place.

"I didn't slaughter anyone if that's what you're worried about," he mused softly.

"I trust you," she said definitively.

_She pressed her knuckles under his shoulder blades eliciting from him a pleasant groan. _

_For a while his head leaned back against her as she rubbed his lower back before he slouched forwards with a drawn out breath. _

"It's just the Council, the hunter, and now the stake," he listed.

_Through his complaint she was startled to feel his stress and to hear a vulnerable tone to his voice. He sounded worried. _

_She chewed anxiously on her lip as she pulled him back closer to her once more. She wound her fingers in the curls of his hair against his neck. _

"We don't have to stay," she told him, kissing the skin behind his ear. "We can leave."

_He shook his head slowly._

"We can't let this go; not now," he sighed.

"So then we don't. We'll stay here, we'll find the hunter and the stake, get the cure, and be done with it," she said confidently.

_He chuckled, causing those infamous dimples to appear on his cheeks. _

"You make it sound so easy," he said.

_She shrugged. _

"I prefer to be optimistic," she explained as she brushed her lips against the stubble on his cheek. "Everything is going to be fine."

"I don't want to lose you," he relented, repeating a fear he had expressed to her before.

_She smiled against his skin. _

"You won't," she said soothingly.

_He released another frustrated sigh as the weight of things seemed to grow heavier on his shoulders despite her efforts to console him. _

"We need to find this hunter," he said determinedly.

_He felt ready to stand up, but she held him in place. _

"Not tonight," she said as she wrapped an arm around securely around his waist. "Stay."

She fluttered her lips along his jaw and back under his ear while her free hand continued to play in his hair.

"You promised me, remember?" she whispered before sucking playfully on his earlobe. "Just relax."

_Her lips soon found their way from his neck to his shoulder, where she nibbled and licked at his skin there in wanting as her fingernails lightly skimmed down his spine. _

_She could feel the tension that had consumed him begin to subside, granting him a reprieve, while her lips continued their path to his right shoulder. _

_His breathing slowed as he focused his concentration on her, and immersed himself in the feeling of her lips and hands, rather than the thoughts in his mind about the hunter that had been plaguing him._

_Once her lips had found their way to his other ear, she sucked in a breath. _

"Make love to me," she said to him lowly.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: I love you all so ridiculously much for your responses to the last chapter. I'm glad that you all generally seemed to understand where Klaus was coming from with his trust issues. I tried to explain that as much as I could throughout the chapter without inserting an author's note in the middle, lol. **

**I know I was a huge smut tease the end of the last chapter, but I didn't want sex to be how the chapter ended. I wanted to emphasize the part before the sex, so that's why I stopped it there. I fear I'm not much better in the coming two chapters either. I'm a bit of a smut tease, but there's just no time for sex, lol. Don't worry though, I hope to satiate your dirty minds once more before the story is out...perhaps around prom, or after, or both, who knows. I don't want to spoil anything. **

**Anyways, this is the first part of the chapter I've been writing since the last update. Needless to say I decided it should be split further, so you have been blessed with a double update. I'll be posting the second part shortly. **

**Feel free to review both chapters individually or together. I am just hungry for your thoughts either way. : )**

* * *

_By lunch period the next day she and Rebekah had silently come to resolve their issue. They had to out of necessity. They were being swarmed with eager prom ticket buyers and had to work together; their personal grievance couldn't get in the way. _

_Neither of them had time to eat let alone the time to devote their thoughts to anything but selling tickets, exchanging cash, and taking names. _

_She was exhausted by the time they were done for another lunch hour. _

_For some reason she had gotten it in her mind last night to seduce Klaus, which in hindsight had probably been a mistake - a delicious mistake. While at the time it had proven to be a very good idea - she was unable to count on one hand the number of times he made her cum - when her cell phone alarm went off too early this morning she was already second guessing herself. _

_To make matters worse, she had promptly silenced her alarm and fell back asleep. She was awakened a half-hour later by a frantic Rebekah who didn't want to be late for school. _

_She had never gotten ready so quickly in her life, in part because of the surprise, but also because she really didn't feel like dealing with Rebekah's attitude any further. _

_With barely any time to dress herself, she had thrown on the same jeans from yesterday with a purple and black tank top. She put her hair up and rushed to apply any amount of makeup she could spare the time for in order to make herself look presentable. _

_She left the house with Rebekah without even the chance to say good morning to either Elijah or Kol. _

_So not only was she exhausted from lack of sleep, but she was famished. She needed to feed. _

_She also needed to find Klaus before history class began. She had about a ten minute window of time. Her mother had sent her a text before lunch informing her that she was throwing her police influence around to look into some leads. _

_With some of the other prom committee members helping Rebekah disassemble the ticket table she headed for his classroom hoping he would be there. _

_She pushed open the door without a second thought only to be surprised by the sight of Klaus confronting the high school principal and Council member, Mr. Nighman._

_Klaus had the older man pressed up against the blackboard with his hands wrapped around his neck. _

_He released him instantly when he heard the door open. _

_Mr. Nighman regained his breath and straightened out his white collared shirt before he wiped some sweat from his forehead and a bloody lip. _

"Miss. Forbes," both of them said in unison.

_Mr. Nighman eyed her and Klaus curiously, not because he knew they were vampires, but because she felt he suspected something more between them. _

"Did I interrupt something?" she said innocently, even though she knew exactly what this confrontation was about.

_Both Klaus and Mr. Nighman shook their heads as the principal forced a smile. _

"Not at all, Miss. Forbes. Mr. Nighman was just leaving," Klaus assured her with a formal tone.

_Mr. Nighman nodded curtly as he practically ran towards the door. _

_Klaus beat him to the door with his vampire speed and blocked the principal's escape. _

"Remember what I said about that municipal funding, hmm? That agreement my brother made ensured his safety along with my sister's, and now, because of a foolish plan the Council set in motion to betray that deal, you are no longer honouring your terms. Thus, I feel it is only appropriate to withhold any further money from the town," Klaus said with a menacing tone.

_Klaus straightened out the lapels on Mr. Nighman's coat amusedly, with a clear intent to frighten him some more. _

_For some reason she found Klaus's intimidation tactics oddly erotic even though there was a part of her screaming at him internally in disapproval. He was ony trying to protect them, she reasoned.  
_

"Also recall the much stronger threat I made to the Council," Klaus pointed out. "Now, it is in your best interests to see to it that you're doing everything you can to contain this dog that you've unleashed before you end up like that other Council member I made an example of. I really don't want it to come down to that, but trust that I will follow through with my threat if any harm comes to me or any of the other vampires you're aware of in this town," Klaus said sternly but calmly, glancing over his shoulder at her.

_Mr. Nighman nodded readily and Klaus opened the door just enough for the principal to slip through before he shut it again and made a point of locking it. _

"I thought closed doors were against school policy?" she teased as she admired the black and grey suit he selected to wear today.

_She shrieked playfully when he lunged at her with vampire speed and pushed her up against the far wall, out of sight from any prying eyes through the window plate in the door. _

_Wrapping her legs around his waist instinctively, he grasped her ass, holding her firmly in place as he attacked the exposed flesh of her cleavage with his lips and tongue._

_Blood was rushing through his veins and she could smell it. _

"I don't give a damn about school policy," he hissed against her heated skin as she curled an arm around his neck and entwined the other in his hair.

_She let herself get lost in the temporary moment, tipping her head back against the painted cement wall as his lips trailed dangerously close to the neckline of her tank top. _

"I'm fairly certain this top you're wearing is against school dress code policy," he mused as he kissed along her throat. "You've tempted me and every hormone-laden teenage boy in this school all morning with it," he chastised her.

"Jealous, _stalker_?" she asked before he cut her off with a deep kiss to her lips.

_He pressed his body tighter against her and she could feel his erection flush against the crotch of her jeans. _

"No, not jealous," he protested as he moved back down to her cleavage. "I just have this insatiable need to ravish you," he said determinedly as he looked up at her.

_She let out a low murmur and ran her tongue across her lips, only then realizing her fangs had dropped when she pricked the muscle on the pointed edge. _

_Both she and Klaus were surprised by her seemingly premature loss of restraint. _

_She touched her face, feeling both her fangs and the veins that had emerged under her eyes. _

"Are you all right, love?" he asked.

"I haven't fed all day, and your erection pressing into my thigh coupled with the blood you drew from Mr. Nighman isn't doing anything to help my impulse control," she smirked.

_His lustful look quickly changed to one of concern. _

_With her secured tightly between him and the wall, he released his grip on her bottom and promptly loosened his tie and collar. _

"You need to feed, so have at it," he offered, cocking his neck to the side.

_Her body burned and her mouth practically watered at his suggestion. _

_She looked around the room with uncertainty. _

"We still have a few minutes before the bell rings," he urged.

_Curling her fingers in his hair, she nestled her face into the crock of his neck. The combination of his cologne and the smell of blood made for one of the most intoxicating scents. _

_She tickled his skin with her fangs before sinking them into his flesh. _

_He released an unexpected pleasurable groan as she sucked the delicious saccharine fluid from the puncture wounds she had created. She revelled in the taste and the feelings that swirled within her as she sated herself. _

_She only took what she needed, knowing that they were pressed for time. Retracting her fangs she cleaned up the residual blood on his neck with her tongue as the wound began to heal. _

_With her dark expression fading, she lifted her head to kiss his lips. _

"Mmm," she murmured, pulling back quickly for fear that things might get out of hand if she continued to indulge in him.

"So you came here to seduce me for my blood?" he inquired with a raised brow.

_Blushing, she shook her head as he released her legs and let her stand. _

_He buttoned up his collar and she straightened his tie. _

"I didn't come here to seduce you at all actually," she laughed. "I came here to tell you that my mom is looking into a few leads on the hunter," she explained.

"And?" he said, knowing instantly that there was a catch.

"She wants me...and you...to come over for dinner tonight," she said quickly, squinting a little as she anticipated Klaus's refusal.

_He cringed inwardly. _

"I'm on shaky ground with her after I killed that Council member," he grimaced. "I don't think she cares for me much," he said.

_She scoffed slightly at his grim appraisal of her mother's opinion of him. _

"I explained that situation to her already. She understands. She's a cop, she's trained not to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she's warming up to you. She wasn't even that upset when she noticed your shoes in the hall the one night you slept over," she reasoned with Klaus.

_His face went a little red. _

"Yeah, she definitely doesn't like me," he concluded laughingly.

_She pushed his shoulder playfully as she rolled her eyes. _

"I think the fact that you've made a lot of sacrifices to help and protect me has probably sort of made up for the fact that you're sleeping with her daughter," she said.

_He seemed resistant. _

"Are you actually that afraid of her? This isn't an inquisition or a multi-course meal," she clarified. "It's just dinner; probably spaghetti, since it's like the only thing my mom knows how to make. She misses me. She wants to talk to us in person about everything that's been going on."

_The bell rang, declaring the end of lunch as she eyed him expectantly for an answer. _

"Fine," he said hurriedly, kissing her briefly before rushing to the classroom door to unlock it.

* * *

_The rest of the afternoon ran as smoothly as could be expected. Klaus's class was all lecture based detailing the opening of the First World War. _

_She did manage to make progress on two fronts by the end of class, however. She had secured Stefan as her stand in date for prom, and Elena had approached her as she left and made a civil request for the notes she had taken during Klaus's lecture on the day she was absent. She offered to search for them through her binder then and there, but Elena specifically requested that she stop by her house with them sometime in the week. She agreed, almost bewilderedly. Likely it was just Elena holding up her end of the deal, but she considered it potential for progress nonetheless. _

_Luckily for her, at some point during the day Matt had offered to drive Rebekah home, enabling her to drive straight to her house instead of to Klaus's and back. _

_She wanted to pick up some more clothes for the next week at Klaus's and grab some other items she had forgotten the last time she had hastily packed. _

_Plus, she fully anticipated her mom arriving home late from work, so she wanted to help start dinner just in case. _

_This wasn't that important, as she had told Klaus, but she couldn't recall a time when she had a dinner like this; her and her mom, and a guy she was seeing. She supposed it was sort of a big deal. After all, she had no intentions of there ever being another. Moreover, after everything with the hunter was settled and she was graduated, she would be leaving Mystic Falls on a permanent basis with Klaus. It was important to her that this happened on good terms with her mother; that she fully approved of him. _

_Much to her surprise, her mother was already home when she arrived from school. Apparently she was now on some early morning shift. _

_With the stress of having to worry about her mom being late lifted, she collected what things she wanted to bring back to Klaus's with her before entering the kitchen to help her mom prepare dinner. _

"You've practically moved in there," her mom said as she chopped some vegetables, obviously having heard her drag one of her bags out into the hall.

_She shrugged awkwardly. _

"I'm only staying there because it's..."

"Safer?" her mom smirked. "We both know that's only part of it."

_Her cheeks went rosy as she reached into one of the cupboards for plates. _

"Of course, Klaus's house is straight out of an episode of MTV Cribs," she joked.

_Her mom narrowed her eyes in disbelief. _

"I was eighteen once," her mom reminded her.

_She set the table in their eat-in kitchen. _

"Well technically I'm no..."

"You know what I mean," her mother interjected.

_In that moment she was reminded once again that while she would never age, her mother would until her death. _

"Honestly, if I could, I would stay here," she admitted. "I like having my own space. Sometimes I feel like I'm imposing there, but I know Klaus and Elijah would never let me. It's just not safe for you or for me if I'm here."

_Her mother nodded. _

"Elijah seems nice," her mother mentioned.

_She smiled. _

"He is. He's been really good to me. He's always looking out for Klaus," she explained as she headed for the drawer of utensils.

"And Klaus's other siblings?" her mom inquired.

_She laughed lightly. _

"Kol and Rebekah? They can be a handful, but they're all right too," she revealed.

"And Klaus? He's good to you?" her mother asked hesitantly.

_Rolling her eyes at her mother's question as she set the utensils in their places, she nodded. _

"We have our issues sometimes, but yes mom, he's more than good to me," she reassured her. "He loves me."

_Her mom seemed to smile genuinely at that, although she suspected that she was probably a little surprised given her past impressions of Klaus. _

"Do you love him?" her mother asked.

"I think it probably goes without saying at this point," she explained, grabbing for some glasses in a top cabinet.

"I'm happy for you," her mother replied, sort of emotionally. "I miss you though...I will miss you when you leave."

_She frowned sympathetically. _

"I'll always come back," she assured her. "But you know I couldn't stay here much longer anyways, even if there was no hunter or threats. Eventually everyone would begin to wonder why I wasn't getting older."

"I know, sweetie," her mom nodded. "I guess it's comforting to know that you won't have to move on by yourself; that you won't be alone."

_Sensing that the conversation was becoming too deep for either of them to handle - they never did have that kind of mother/daughter relationship - their conversation soon moved to more casual topics and discussion about others: Elena, Elena's relationships with the Salvatores, Matt and Rebekah, etc. _

_With dinner nearly ready, she found herself pacing around the kitchen and checking her phone incessantly for word from Klaus. _

_She knew he had a staff meeting after class and plans to return home before he made his way here, but he should have been here by now. _

_Just when she was in the process of retrieving a blood bag for herself to calm her nerves, the doorbell rang. _

_Her mom offered to get the door and sensing it was Klaus, she left the bag hastily on the counter as she went after her. _

"Come in," she heard her mom say politely, even though Klaus already had an invitation to come inside.

_Klaus was already standing in the front hall when she reached them. _

_He was casually dressed now in a grey Henley shirt and black jeans. She took a moment to curse how easy it was for him to look so good in something so simple. _

_She also cursed him teasingly to herself when he handed her mother a bottle of red wine and an arrangement of yellow roses. _

_Her mom thanked him and hurried past her to find a vase, smiling at her approvingly as she passed. _

_One of the only hobbies her mother had outside of work was her flower garden out back. What an appropriate gift, she thought. _

_Now alone with him in the hall, she blatantly rolled her eyes at him with a smirk. _

"Seriously? Flowers and wine? You are such an ass kisser," she laughed.

_He smirked with a shrug. _

"They seem to have had their desired effect," he mused, sneaking a kiss to her lips as her mom disappeared into the kitchen.

"Nicely played," she conceded, "but my mom's only supposed to like you, not like you more than me," she scowled playfully.

"I have no control over who your mother prefers," he said innocently as she led him down the hall to the kitchen.

_Her mother was busy fitting the flowers into a glass vase. _

"These are lovely," her mom admired.

"Why yellow roses?" she inquired.

"You give someone a particular flower based on their meaning, not their appearance," Klaus explained simply.

"Then what do yellow roses mean?" she asked dumfounded.

_Her mom smiled as she retrieved a corkscrew for the wine. _

"They mean friendship," her mother said.

_She flashed Klaus another quick eye roll. _

"Indeed," Klaus said as he took the bottle and corkscrew from her mother and opened the bottle for her.

"I'll go get the wine glasses," her mom said.

"So I wonder what red tulips mean," she said nonchalantly as she checked on the food.

_Klaus smirked as he took the blood bag she had retrieved earlier and had since forgotten about. _

_Surprisingly, her mom let her indulge in the wine Klaus brought over. _

_Klaus took it upon himself to mix their wine with the blood while her mom was busy dishing out food portions. _

_They ate quietly for a few minutes before her mom decided to make small talk. _

_Klaus seemed annoyed because she knew he was more concerned about any information she might have found on the hunter, but he kept quiet, his tongue restricted by his apparent table manners. _

"So did you enjoy your birthday?" her mom asked Klaus.

_She sat nervously on the sidelines, chewing her food carefully as she waited for the latest topic to unfold. _

_Klaus nodded. _

"It was a great time," he recalled. "Your daughter spoiled me," he said, eyeing her before looking back at her mom.

"Caroline tells me you're quite the artist," her mom said, obviously referring to the set of paintbrushes she had purchased for him as a gift.

_Klaus shrugged modestly. _

"It's been a hobby of mine for many years," he responded.

_Her mom arched an eyebrow as she sipped from her glass of wine. _

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that a thousand year old...hybrid...is seeing my teenage daughter," her mom said.

_She glared at her mom. Clearly a few sips of wine were already getting the better of her. _

_Klaus laughed off the comment jovially and she curiously awaited his reply. _

"When you're immortal and unchanging, age is irrelevant. Time is interpreted differently. While Caroline may be a teenager in your eyes, in supernatural terms the concept of being a teenager is meaningless, since one can only be a teenager insofar as one can also be an adult or an elder, if that makes sense," he explained.

_Her mother seemed to buy his reasoning and she nodded. _

"I suppose it does," her mom replied.

_The three of them continued to eat quietly for a while before the silence became too awkward for her. _

"Mom, I almost forgot to show you my prom dress," she said, deciding that talk of prom was the perfect way to end another quiet moment.

_She reached into her pocket for her phone. _

"I'm going to be the officer on duty for the event that night," her mom informed her, "so I'll get to see your dress and all the work you put in with the committee."

_Extending her hand across the table she gave her mom a look at the dress. _

"Wow Caroline, it looks beautiful," she admired, "...and expensive," her mother said critically.

"Klaus bought it for me," she said, fully anticipating the next disapproving look from her mother.

"It was nothing," Klaus assured her mom. "I wanted her to have it. My sister wanted her to have it," he explained.

"How generous of you," her mom said reluctantly.

_Her mother always hated accepting gifts from others and had tried to raise her the same way. She didn't like feeling like she owed anyone any favours. _

_And while Klaus's thoughtful gifts made her a little uneasy, she was beginning to realize that her protests were feeble. Lavish gift giving seemed to be an old world custom Klaus had retained, obviously as a means to show his affection for her when his words could not, and she would either have to graciously accept his gifts or risk appearing ungrateful. _

"Who will be your date? Since Klaus is technically your teacher?" her mom wondered.

_She smirked as both her mom and Klaus looked at her expectantly. _

"Actually, I finally convinced Stefan to be my date today. He really didn't want to go because Elena will be attending with Damon, but I got him to come around," she said excitedly.

_Klaus frowned immediately and she scowled at his expression. _

"He's just my platonic date, it's not a big deal," she chuckled.

"Stefan's an honourable stand-in," her mom mentioned.

"He knows," she said, "Klaus and Stefan were close friends in the twenties," she explained.

_Her mom seemed intrigued. _

"He wasn't so honourable then," Klaus remarked snidely as he set his utensils upon his finished plate.

_She scoffed. _

"If Stefan being my date to prom bothers you that much, you should have thought of that before you decided to resign yourself to teacher-chaperone," she mused.

_Her mom seemed sort of surprised by the stern way she talked to Klaus, as though she half expected Klaus to jump up from his seat and tear her in two. _

"I thought this was supposed to be the modern age? Can't you just attend alone?" he suggested.

_She glared at him wondering if he was actually serious. _

_He smirked at her, hinting that he was toying with her and though annoyed, she relaxed a little. _

_Her mom laughed a little. _

"Listen to the two of you," she mused.

_Klaus grimaced at where her mom was heading with that statement before her decided to take the liberty of changing the subject once more. _

"So Caroline told me about the short trip to New York. I've always wanted to see Central Park," her mother mentioned.

"It's very picturesque," Klaus mentioned.

_Her mom nodded knowingly. _

"I'm a little more curious though to know where you plan to go once everything is said and done with the cure?" her mother wondered.

_She looked to Klaus to provide her mother with an answer since she herself had no idea where they would go next. _

_Klaus shrugged, obviously reluctant to share any definitive plans. He probably had not thought that far ahead either. _

"Caroline wants to see the world, so we shall see it," he said, turning his wine glass under the manipulation of his fingers.

_She smiled at the thought as her mother seemed just as awestruck. _

"Where would you settle after that?" her mom asked concerned, clearly curious to know where her daughter would be.

_Klaus seemed indifferent to the mention of settling. _

"Being what we are we cannot settle anywhere for more than a few years at a time," he described.

_Her mom nodded understandingly. _

"But we can come back to visit?" she wondered as she glanced at him questioningly.

_He mulled over the suggestion for a moment. _

"We could probably remain stateside for the immediate future," he said cryptically.

_Her mom seemed satisfied with that reply as she began to realize what he meant by 'immediate future.' As long as her mother was alive, they could remain nearby. _

_While his suggestion was comforting, she hated being confronted by her own mother's mortality. _

"Speaking of the hunter," her mother started, changing the subject much to her delight and Klaus's intrigue, "I pulled some strings and got access to his credit card records. It hasn't been used in the past day, but when it was they were all at stores in the Mystic Falls area. Hardware and camping related purchases were made judging by the stores he visited," she said. "I know it's not much, but it's the best I could do so far."

_Klaus clasped his hands together as he pieced together her mom's new information. _

"So there's a good chance the hunter's still in Mystic Falls then somewhere," she contributed.

_Her mom nodded. _

"My best guess is that he got spooked by you tracking him down at the hotel, so he's resorted to alternative living arrangements," her mom clarified.

"Camping?" Klaus thought aloud.

_Her mom shrugged. _

"It could be a possibility. Mystic Falls is surrounded by forest. It would be easy to set up camp one night and then move again the next day without so much as a trace," she concluded.

_Before she could contribute anything or Klaus could respond her cell phone began to complain in her pocket. _

_When she pulled it out, she was surprised to see that the caller I.D. said it was Elena. _

_Her eyebrows furrowed as she answered the phone. _

_Both her mom and Klaus eyed her curiously. _

"_Hello?" she answered. _

"_Caroline? We may have just made progress with the hunter," Elena informed her. _

"_What? How?" she asked. _

"_The hunter confronted Jeremy; said something about him being a hunter too, or a potential hunter. Anyways, he took Jeremy to a trailer off of highway six. That's where he is," Elena said clearly excited by the prospect of capturing the hunter. _

"_Are you at home? Klaus and I will meet you there?" she suggested, not bothering to inquire for more details over the phone. _

"_I'm at the Grill right now, but I'm heading to Damon and Stefan's; Bonnie and Jeremy are already there. Meet us there," Elena told her. _

"_Okay, see you soon," she said before hanging up the phone. _

_Klaus was already standing anticipatorily having obviously eavesdropped on her conversation with Elena. _

_Her mom was looking at the both of them worriedly. _

"You're camping hypothesis may have been right," she told her mom. "The hunter confronted Jeremy today. Apparently Jeremy is a potential hunter or something. He's staying in a trailer off one of the back highways," she explained.

"Why would the hunter reveal his location to Jeremy? Elena is a vampire?" her mother wondered.

"The hunter doesn't know about Elena because the Council never knew about her," she assumed.

"We should go," Klaus urged.

_She nodded in agreement as both she and her mother stood from the table at the same time. _

"Maybe I should come?" her mom offered.

_She shook her head immediately and luckily Klaus appeared to back her on her persistence. _

"The hunter might be out for vampires, but who knows what lengths he's willing to go to in order to achieve his goal; it's probably best if you stay here," Klaus told her mom.

_She nodded in agreement with Klaus as her mom looked uneasily at her. _

"Sorry we can't stay to help clean up," she said, scrambling to make a token effort as she hastily gathered up their plates and brought them to the kitchen counter.

"Caroline, I got it, sweetie; just go help your friends," her mom said reassuringly.

_She nodded and smiled at her mom gratefully and turned for Klaus. _

"Thank you for your hospitality Mrs. Forbes," Klaus said hurriedly.

"It's Liz, and your welcome; just make sure my daughter is safe," her mother told Klaus sternly.


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: So here's the next part folks, I hope you enjoy it. **

**I wanted to get these updates out today as I will be gone for the week. I may or may not have access to the internet, so just in case I don't, I hope these two updates can tie you over. That said, I will be writing as much as possible so I hope to have the prom chapter(s) ready. Prepare yourselves for an emotional roller coaster. **

**For fun, I've created some prom collages depicting dresses/hair/suits/makeup/shoes/jewelry etc that inspired Caroline and Rebekah's looks - and yes, even a little of Klaus's. I'll be posting those on my tumblr, idiot-wind, if you're curious. They're nothing special, just copy and pasted photos. Graphic art is not my specialty. **

**Feel free to share your thoughts with me when you're finished. I'm always curious.**

* * *

_They really hadn't said much of anything to each other on the drive to the Salvatore boarding house. Klaus drummed anxiously on the steering wheel, while she played out various scenarios in her head of how things would go when they confronted the hunter. She assumed Klaus was busy doing something similar in his mind. _

_She couldn't even really focus on the fact that she had just had dinner with Klaus and her mom and that it had went better than she had expected it would. _

_It appeared her mother was warming up to Klaus, and in turn, Klaus seemed to offer her special reverence given the fact that she was her mother. _

_She knew he didn't exactly have the best relationship with his own parents, so it pleased her that in lieu of that he still respected the relationship she had with her mom. _

_Both Bonnie and Elena's vehicles were in the driveway when they arrived. _

_Thinking back to last night's confrontation she suddenly grew nervous as she wondered how things would play out between Klaus, Stefan, and Damon. _

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm not going to stake either of the Salvatores with any furniture this time," Klaus said as he opened the front door for her, obviously having sensed her trepidation.

_She smirked, walking past him and entering the house. _

_Bonnie, Elena, Jeremy, Damon, and Stefan were all gathered in the living room. Stefan and Damon were standing. Jeremy was seated on the arm of one of the sofas, while Elena and Bonnie were sitting across from one another. _

_They all glanced up as she and Klaus paused awkwardly in the entranceway. Their looks of subtle surprise and uncertainty suggested that they were still trying to process the concept of her and Klaus together. _

"Hey," she greeted them.

"Good, you're here," Damon stated quickly, flashing towards her and pushing her forwards into the living room.

"Damon, what the hell?" she stammered as she stumbled into the living room.

_Klaus promptly reacted by violently pinning Damon up against the wall with his forearm. _

"Oh calm down hybrid Ken. I'm doing you a favour. Vampire Barbie gets to sit this one out in the safety of our living room along with Elena," Damon said through choked breaths as Klaus released him curiously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, stepping towards the hall only to hit an invisible barrier that prevented her from leaving.

_Damon smirked and waved at her as she slammed her forearms against the transparent wall. _

_She glanced back to a guilty looking Bonnie and a disgruntled Elena. _

"You can't just leave us here!" Elena protested from beside her as Bonnie and Stefan stepped out into the hallway.

_Klaus eyed her anxiously. He was clearly conflicted about Damon's plan that excluded her. _

"It's safer for them if they stay here. You know that," Damon said to Klaus. "We wouldn't want to let our emotions blur our rational thought out in the field would we?" he added.

"Klaus!" she demanded. "Get Bonnie to break the spell!"

_He hesitated. _

"It's safer for you this way," Bonnie interjected. "I'm sorry."

_Both she and Elena scowled. _

"So why does Jeremy get to go then?" Elena asked.

_Damon shrugged. _

"He volunteered," Stefan said, almost apologetically.

"He's going to be our human shield so to speak," Damon said.

_Elena's eyes practically bulged out of her face with worry. _

"Elena, it's okay. The hunter isn't going to hurt me. It's like a code of honour or something. Killing another hunter or potential is like this terrible mark of shame apparently. The hunter won't hurt them if I'm in the crossfire," Jeremy explained.

"Just because he told you that does not make it true," Elena said.

_Jeremy shook his head in frustration. _

"I'm doing this for you, Elena. Let me do this," Jeremy said. "I'll be fine."

_Elena crossed her arms and gave him a reluctant nod of defeat before scoffing and retreating further into the living room. _

"This is ridiculous and so sexist. Elena and I are just as capable," she groaned, staring pointedly at Klaus. "If anyone should be sealed in here it should be you. If the hunter has the white oak stake, your death could kill us all," she argued.

_He stepped forward. _

"Well, I could waste a half hour battling with your witch friend Bonnie to get her to break the spell," he proposed, looking back at an uneasy Bonnie and then to her again. "Or, you could let us use that extra half hour to our advantage with the hunter. The choice is yours, love," he offered.

_She knew exactly the game he was trying to play and so did Damon and Stefan judging by their smirks. He was using her concern for her friends and the importance of securing the hunter against her. He knew she would sacrifice being a part of their latest mission if it meant increasing their chances of success. _

_Relenting, she shrugged her shoulders and dropped her hands bitterly to her sides. _

"Fine, just go," she complained, turning her back and collapsing bitterly onto one of the sofas.

_She stared away angrily in the opposite direction for a split second before stealing a final glance with Klaus before the group of them left the house. _

_It was a worried look. One that she hoped conveyed the fact that despite her annoyance she wanted him to be safe and that she loved him; things she would never dare say out loud to him in front of everyone else. _

_From the corner of her eye, she could see Elena doing the same with Damon. _

_Klaus gave her a curt nod before disappearing down the hall with Stefan, Damon, Jeremy, and Bonnie following close behind._

* * *

_With a huff, she lied down on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. If being locked in this room wasn't torturous enough already, her somewhat estranged best friend Elena was sitting on the sofa opposite hers. _

"I can't believe this," she bemoaned. "Actually, scratch that. I can believe this. This was such a Damon thing to do," she sighed, her hair blowing from her face as the forced air escaped her lips. "I just can't believe he convinced Bonnie to go along with it."

_She tensed a little, anticipating that Elena would take offense to her cold, but accurate judgement of the situation. _

_Elena groaned and she waited to be called out. _

"Damon forgets that I'm a vampire. He still sees me as a fragile porcelain doll that needs to be protected - so does Stefan. They don't realize that I'm capable of taking care of myself, or that I want to," Elena revealed. "Then Damon plays off of Bonnie's concern for us...and here we are," she added with a sigh.

_She shook her head with a little amused scoff. _

"And it couldn't have worked out better for Nik," she conceded, looking over at Elena who was confused. "Klaus," she clarified, realizing she had let the other name slip again. "I'm out of the line of fire and he had no part in that this time. Damon did all the dirty work for him. I can't even get mad at him," she laughed. "At least you can get mad at Damon."

_Elena smirked a little. _

"I plan to," Elena confirmed. "I thought that he and Stefan had learned at this point that I'm tired of them making decisions for me," she complained.

_She shrugged. _

"I don't think they ever learn. They put their concerns ahead of ours. Ironically, their concerns are basically us," she chuckled.

_Elena laughed._

_It felt good to hear Elena laugh with her again, she realized. _

"I got so mad at Klaus when he confronted the Council and elected to be my high school babysitter," she mused, forgetting briefly that she and Elena were still sort of on the outs.

_Elena probably didn't want to hear her talk about her relationship woes with Klaus. Moreover, discussing them would only confirm Elena's negative bias towards him. _

"You did?" Elena asked curiously, however. "What happened?"

_She mentally shrugged off her concerns. There was really nothing to be lost in talking to Elena. _

"Well the combination of both resulted in me naively going after the hunter by myself when he was still staying at that resort outside of town," she admitted. "I was going to prove to Klaus that I could do it on my own. Obviously it didn't work out too well. Luckily, he was onto the same lead and found me there before I stepped into any traps," she told her.

_Elena seemed surprised. _

"Klaus was furious with me," she confessed.

"What did he do?" Elena wondered hesitantly, probably expecting to discover that Klaus had abused her or worse.

"We argued. He shut me out. I apologized. He owned up to being overbearing. We empathized," she stated, much to Elena's disbelief. "Klaus's biggest fear is losing me; hence why he can be so overbearing. It's difficult, but I try to appreciate that - or at least understand it - rather than resent him for it," she added. "I'm sure Damon and Stefan are motivated by a similar fear."

_Elena nodded and the air in the room went still for a few moments. _

_She was reluctant at first but decided to ask anyways. It's not like Elena could avoid her. They were locked in a room together. _

"How...um...are things between you, Damon, and Stefan?" she wondered as she stood up and decided to help herself to some of the Salvatore liquor supply.

_Elena eyed her hesitantly as she poured herself a drink and then a second for Elena without asking. _

_She handed Elena the glass who took it appreciatively. _

"Things have been tense. I've been trying to stay away from here as much as possible to give Stefan his space. This is his house," Elena said as she sipped from her glass. "After you left last night we sort of reached a truce. Stefan's trying really hard to be understanding. Not just for his friendship with me, but for his relationship with Damon."

"That's good," she commented, not wanting to pry more and push things further than Elena was willing to go.

_She felt like asking Elena if she was trying to be understanding of her and Klaus not just for the cure but for their friendship. _

_Elena sighed. _

"I just really want this cure," Elena said.

_She sat back down on the sofa and sipped her drink quietly, hoping Elena would elaborate. _

"I need to know for sure that what I feel for Damon is real," Elena continued.

_She nodded in understanding, sympathizing with the uncertain position Elena was in. _

_Elena was staring at her now as she ignored her gaze by staring at various odds and ends decorating the room. _

"Would you take the cure if you weren't sired to Damon?" she asked Elena.

"I would," Elena confessed. "I never wanted to be a vampire. Not even now that I've experienced it. I want to be normal. I want to be a wife. I want to be a mother."

_She was well aware of how badly Elena wanted the perfect marriage, the two brilliant and beautiful kids, the white picket fence, and even the dog. They used to spend entire Sunday afternoons rehearsing the scene. Elena's make believe adventures always detailed these desires, in which she was often reduced to the maid of honour or the babysitter. _

_Her dreams were always different. As a child she didn't see marriage and children through rose coloured glasses like Elena did. Elena came from the perfect family; she did not. While the thought of a knight in shining armor just for her was nice, her parents' relationship and the impact its dissolution had on her was not something she was keen to repeat. Her dreams involved a career or travelling; sometimes both. When it was her turn to dictate the make believe scenario she would often take Elena around the world based upon her limited geographical knowledge. _

_Being a vampire allowed her the opportunity to encounter a variety people, places, and things. She could explore the world and dabble in various hobbies and professions. It opened her up and gave her the self-confidence she needed. Unexpectedly, becoming a vampire had also led her to find her so-called knight. _

_So when Elena asked her the same question, she found herself already shaking her head. _

"No, I wouldn't take it," she replied.

_Elena seemed dismayed; as though still clinging to the Sundays of their childhood. _

"I like who I am as a vampire. I mean, sure, I didn't like the idea at first and I don't enjoy the bloodlust or the urge to kill, but becoming a vampire has made me better. I feel better about myself. I feel strong; capable of things. I like feeling like I can do anything," she described.

"And Klaus?" Elena wondered.

"What about Klaus?" she asked before taking another drink.

"How does he factor into that?" Elena clarified.

_She shrugged. _

"He's helped me realize that," she said simply. "He's encouraged me to actualize my dreams."

_Quite aware that's not what Elena was getting at she decided to give Elena the details she was looking for. _

"I want to share my dreams with him," she sighed contentedly as she thought about it. "I would be lying if I said that he himself was not a dream of mine now. I can't picture my life without him," she admitted.

_She thought she could see a semblance of a small smile on Elena's lips before it was quickly covered by her liquor glass. _

"Sorry," Elena murmured. "Honestly, I am really trying hard to wrap my head around you and Klaus."

_That was probably all she could really ask for. She could force Elena to warm up to something she didn't want to. Elena's feelings were beyond her control. _

"It helps to see him with you; to see how he is with you; to hear you talk about him like you do," Elena offered. "It's reassuring since my only real concern, beyond Klaus's history with me, is ensuring that he's good to you," she added.

_She smiled and nodded appreciatively in response to Elena's words._

"That's exactly how I feel about you and Damon," she revealed. "I just want to know that he's going to treat you how you deserve to be treated."

_Elena mirrored her understanding as she took another drink. _

_They sat in silence for a few more minutes before she felt comfortable enough to turn Elena's question back onto her. _

"How does Damon fit into your intentions for the cure?" she wondered.

_Elena paused. _

"Well it all depends on a lot of things really," Elena realized, "the sire bond, my feelings, his feelings. I can't force him to take the cure assuming that Klaus would make it accessible to anyone but me."

"Do you think Damon would take the cure if he could?" she asked hypothetically.

_Elena shrugged unknowingly. _

"Deep down I think he misses being human, but he's been a vampire for so long. Plus I think his decision would partially be based on what Stefan wanted. They're relationship may be strained because of their feelings for me, but their bond runs deep," Elena conceded.

_She could tell Elena was concerned, but she was unsure of what to say in that moment. There were too many unpredictable variables in the situation for her to offer any definitive reassurance. She simply nodded and leaned back against the sofa. _

_They sat quietly together for a while as they both sipped on their drinks as a distraction; a distraction from the slowly dissipating awkwardness between them; a distraction from the fact that their siblings, friends, and lovers were out there somewhere confronting the hunter. _

"I'm sorry," Elena finally said randomly.

_She glanced at Elena with a questioning raise of her eyebrows. _

_Elena was turned away from her, staring over at nothing in particular. _

"For what?" she said, dumbfounded by Elena's sudden apology.

"I've been treating you unfairly when it comes to Klaus," Elena admitted.

"You don't..." she stammered.

_Elena shook her head. _

"I'm not just saying that because of some agreement that was made. I mean it," Elena said sincerely.

"Thanks," she said slowly, still unsure about the motivations behind Elena's apology.

_After the roller coaster their friendship had been on, in large part due to Elena's misjudgements, naturally, her emotions were guarded. She didn't want this to be some cruel joke. _

_Before long, Elena was chuckling lightly, and for a second she was convinced that her apology had been a joke. _

_She glared at Elena inquiringly. _

"What?" she asked anxiously.

"I don't think Damon got Bonnie to seal us in here in order to protect us," Elena concluded. "He put us in here so we would talk to each other," she explained, "which is probably why Bonnie agreed to do it in the first place."

_She thought about it for a moment and Elena's suspicion seemed to make sense. _

_Damon always seemed to have an ulterior motive, why would this time be any different? Why would Stefan, Bonnie, and Jeremy go along with Damon's plan for any other reason? _

"I think you're right," she agreed, offering a small smirk.

* * *

_He drove himself and the Salvatores out to the gravel side road that had been mentioned, following behind Bonnie who led the way in her car with Jeremy - an apparent potential candidate for the Five. _

_When Bonnie pulled off to the side of the road, he followed suit and parked on the grassy edge of the road behind her. _

_It was completely dark now. _

_Nothing could really be seen, save for what was immediately in front of them and a few lights off in the distance. _

_As he climbed out of the vehicle he built his guard up, suspicious that perhaps this was a trap for him rather than a mission to secure the hunter. _

_Jeremy and Bonnie were leaning against the back of her car waiting for him and the Salvatores. _

"That was pretty smooth what you did back there with Caroline," Damon mused as they approached the witch and potential hunter.

_He smirked. _

"I really didn't want her out here anymore than you want Elena out here. I knew she wouldn't want to jeopardize this opportunity by having me waste time forcing Bonnie to remove the spell," he explained.

"Do you think they're talking to each other yet?" Bonnie asked nervously.

_Stefan stepped around his vehicle from the other side._

_Damon scoffed with a shrug. _

"It's not like they can go anywhere. What are they going to do? Stare at the ceiling the entire time we're gone?" Damon suggested sarcastically.

"Getting them to talk was the whole intent of the spell, so let's hope so," Stefan said.

_Bonnie nodded at Stefan's reassurance. _

"I'm sure they're talking. Both of them aren't any good at giving the silent treatment for too long," Jeremy added.

_He glared at them with annoyance as he realized the true intentions behind the spell that Bonnie cast. He didn't much care for Elena, but he knew deep down Caroline wanted to resolve things between them. While he hated to be deceived - even if it was entirely innocent - he had to admit, the plan to seal them in the Salvatore living room for a few hours seemed like a good idea. _

"Perhaps they'll resort to killing one another?" he suggested amusedly, with the sole intent of riling the rest of the group up.

_Caroline would barely hurt an enemy, much less Elena, he knew. _

_Damon snorted at his dark humour while the other three shot him serious glances. _

"It was so nice of you all to share the true motivations behind your little scheme with me. Now how about we stop chattering and get on with things," he suggested impatiently.

_Everyone seemed easily agreeable and looked to Jeremy for instruction. _

_Jeremy glanced across the gravel road and pointed to a small clearing free from trees. _

_There he noticed a small path carved from tire tracks that had worn down the tall grass over time. _

"His trailer is down that path," Jeremy said.

_He extended his hand and pointed towards it. _

"Well mate, since you're supposed to be our bodyguard of sorts, lead the way," he told him.

_Reluctantly, with Bonnie close behind, Jeremy stepped across the road towards the path. _

"Is the big bad hybrid scared of the hunter?" Damon observed as he followed Jeremy and Bonnie.

"Just being cautious, mate," he said bitterly, crossing the road with Stefan.

_Damon snickered as they stepped onto the path. _

"Oh yeah, Stefan told me about your little tree incident yesterday," Damon laughed.

_He shot an angrily glare in Stefan's direction. _

"How did that chair leg treat you last night?" he retorted mockingly.

_Damon grumbled under his breath. _

"Would you guys knock it off and be quiet," the witch demanded from ahead of them.

"I'm pretty sure our whole advantage is the element of surprise," Jeremy said under his breath, "You guys are going to ruin that."

_He rolled his eyes at being told off by a young witch and a potential hunter. He could have their necks snapped in an instant if they weren't of any value to him, or to Caroline. _

_The rest of the trek towards a larger clearing in the woods was silent, and surprisingly they had avoided any traps the hunter might have set in anticipation of any threats. That suggested to him that the hunter's latest location was unplanned or hastily selected. _

_With the isolated trailer in their sights the group of them halted, protected by the blanket of darkness that the night offered them. _

_Jeremy and Bonnie veered off into the brush for extra cover and he and Stefan followed Damon and did the same. _

_They needed to devise some semblance of a plan now that they knew the location they were dealing with before they boldly walked into the hunter's territory and confronted him. _

_He studied the trailer carefully, making note of the fact that there was only one entrance. The interior of the trailer was dimly lit and he watched closely for any shadows or movement. _

_Deciding it was now or never, he stood up from his crouched position in the brush and pulled Jeremy up by the collar of his shirt with him. _

_He expected shocked looks from everyone else and that's what he got. _

_Disregarding them, he pushed Jeremy forward towards the clearing. _

_They walked across the mostly uneven dirt and grass terrain as quietly as they could while trying to remain in the shadows in case they made any noise. _

_Making their way closer, he forced Jeremy to crouch over and he followed suit to avoid being in the sightline of the trailer windows. _

_He stopped Jeremy at the trailer's back wheel well and he tried to concentrate his hearing. It was no easy task. Jeremy's breathing was sporadic and heavy. Fresh blood was raging in his veins he could almost taste it. It was almost too tempting, even for him. When he felt his eyes begin to glaze over in response to the blood lust, he stopped himself. This was not the time, nor the place, nor the victim, he thought as he refocused on the trailer. _

_Listening intensely, he heard nothing inside save for the steady buzz of electricity. He heard no movement or breathing. _

_Once he got past the scent of the Gilbert boy's blood, he could smell no other human except for the faint aroma of the Bennett witch. _

"Go to the door and knock," he instructed Jeremy, wanting to test the waters further.

_Swallowing hard from a mixture of hesitation and trepidation, Jeremy practically crawled to the door and knocked firmly. _

"Connor, are you there? It's me, Jeremy," he said after three knocks and no answer.

_Jeremy knocked again and still there was nothing. _

_To his surprise, Jeremy bravely pulled on the door handle. The door opened. _

_He waited anticipatorily as the Gilbert boy poked his head inside the mobile home. _

"Hello?" he said as he looked around.

_There was no reply. _

_Popping his head back out, he shrugged. _

"No one's here," Jeremy said.

_He scoffed and stepped forward, signalling for the other three in the brush to come out. _

_In classic hunter style, he noted the trip wire immediately at the entrance and he pulled Jeremy down from the step before he could naively succumb to the trap. _

"What the hell?" Jeremy groaned as he fell into the grass on his back.

_Bonnie rushed to his aid. _

_Rolling his eyes, he stepped aside and pointed down to the wire. _

"Stay out here," he instructed to both Jeremy and Bonnie before stepping inside the trailer cautiously. "One of you stays out here with them," he said to Stefan and Damon.

_Pinpointing most of the traps easily enough he moved around more confidently. Given that these were the hunter's apparent living quarters the traps set were minimal. _

_Stefan stepped inside behind him. _

_He took note of the state of the interior. The bed at the back was unmade, dirty dishes were on the counter, storage doors were open, and a few papers littered the small table. _

"The hunter left in a hurry," he concluded to Stefan as he scanned the content of the papers on the tabletop.

_The majority of them were newspaper clippings. He noted an article profiling Elijah in regards to the donation he had made to the town. There were articles detailing suspicious events. There was a list; a list of vampires. He and Caroline were on that list, along with his siblings and Tyler Lockwood thanks to Alaric Saltzman's blabber mouth. _

_There were also photographs; photographs that made his stomach clench; a few of Caroline outside of the school with Rebekah. There was some of him and Caroline leaving the Grill. A few more were taken on his property. _

"Do you think someone tipped him off?" Stefan suggested.

_He looked over his shoulder. _

"That's precisely what I'm thinking," he stated as he scanned the small living space some more. "Search every corner of this godforsaken trailer for any information that might be of use to us. Beware of traps," he instructed Stefan before leaving the trailer and setting his sights directly upon Jeremy.

"You," he muttered, grabbing him by the collar of his charcoal t-shirt. "You wouldn't have happened to put a call in to your hunter friend politely announcing our arrival in advance, would you?" he hissed, staring down a pathetic excuse for a potential hunter as he shook under his grasp.

_Jeremy's eyebrows furrowed as his expression turned to one of general protest. _

"Of course not," Jeremy denied. "Why would I do that? I want my sister to have this cure."

_The story was convincing but there were still other possibilities. _

"Perhaps you brokered a new deal with the hunter? Hmm?" he said accusingly.

_Jeremy denied this as Bonnie and Damon slipped in subtle recommendations for him to leave Jeremy alone. _

"If I didn't want the hunter to be found, why would I have mentioned anything about his location in the first place?" Jeremy retorted.

"Perhaps that was the plan? Lure us all out here for the hunter..." he remarked simply probing for amusement now.

_Jeremy shook his head. _

"If the hunter kills you, my sister dies. I want the exact opposite," he confirmed.

_Casting Jeremy aside he gazed out into the darkness and tried to come up with some other explanation. This hunter was right under their noses, and yet he had managed to evade them once more. It was ludicrous. _

"Someone's tipped him off," he said as Stefan appeared in the doorway of the trailer.

"Who?" Damon wondered.

_He glared at Damon. _

"Well if I knew that Damon, we wouldn't be standing here pathetically, would we?" he scowled.

"I checked everywhere. All the important things are probably gone; laptop, cell phone. There's nothing in here that could lead us any closer to him or reveal what his plans are," Stefan declared.

_He scoffed, feeling almost defeated. _

"His plan is to kill us!" he shouted in his frustration, even though he knew Stefan was referring to specifics.

_Yet again, they were back to square one. _

_He looked to Bonnie. _

"How are you with incendiary spells?" he asked.

"Fine," she shrugged curiously.

_He nodded his head towards the trailer. _

"Burn it," he commanded.

_Stefan moved away from the trailer at his orders. _

_Bonnie hesitated. _

"I said, burn it," he repeated.

_They all stepped back as Bonnie's eyes closed and she began to recite a spell. _

_A flame trailed from Bonnie towards the mobile home and then disappeared. _

_Before long, he could smell smoke from inside the trailer. A while longer and he could see the glow of flames from the windows. _

_He stood there as he watched the smoke begin to billow and the flames start to rise. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a few moments before opening them again. This was almost therapeutic to him. After all the trouble this hunter had caused he could use some good therapy, he mused. _

_The next time he closed his eyes he saw Caroline and his stomach lurched. _

_His eyes shot open and he looked around the clearing before checking his phone. _

_There was nothing from Caroline; not even an angst-ridden message about how she was going to make him suffer for allowing Bonnie to leave her stuck in the Salvatore living room with Elena. _

_Anxiety overtook him as he realized that Caroline was locked in the Salvatore living room with no one but Elena. _

_Perhaps this was the hunter's plan? But how was he to know that Elena and Caroline would be left behind? _

_He tore off towards the path they had entered from with both Stefan and Damon calling after him suspiciously. _

"Where the hell are you going now?" Damon yelled as the three of them reached the gravel road.

_Bonnie and Jeremy were straggling behind at human speed. _

"Caroline and Elena are sealed in your living room and the hunter is on the loose somewhere," he stated vaguely, satisfied when both Stefan and Damon made the connection.

* * *

_He drove them hurriedly back to the Salvatore boarding house. _

_From the outside nothing seemed amiss, but his mind was too clouded with worry to focus his hearing on determining if everything was all right inside. _

_He was the first one out of the vehicle and the first one to the door. He opened it with little regard for ownership. _

_Stopping abruptly at the entranceway to the living room he found Caroline and Elena sitting beside each other on one of the sofas, laughing as they swapped phones. He heard something mentioned about prom, but discussion between them came to a halt when he appeared. _

_Caroline stood up immediately. A look of concern spread across her face, no doubt in response to his sudden entrance and panicked expression. _

_Seeing her unharmed and untouched brought instantaneous relief, and he felt his breathing begin to slow. _

_She was safe. _


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Hey there! As usual, I apologize for the delay. This took a while to write. I also got a little sidetracked with a smutty one-shot and then 4x16 happened. **

**Anyways, I appreciate all the amazing reviews I received for the last two updates, and thank you to those who have recently just started reading and have added me to their story alerts, or their favourite story/author lists. **

**So this is the prom chapter. Be warned: there is smut, fluff, and a cliff hanger. **

**When you're finished reading, I would love to know what you think. Review me maybe?**

* * *

_She stormed into Klaus's study on one foot completely enraged. _

_Slamming the door behind her as she entered, she startled him from his entranced glare at the computer screen. _

_When he seemed to disregard her clear signs of distress, she scowled loudly, propping herself up on the edge of the desk as she inspected her bare foot. _

_Finally, she heard the lid of his laptop close. _

"Is something the matter, sweetheart?" he asked nonchalantly.

_She glared at him from over her shoulder. _

"Obviously. Your sister is the matter!" she complained.

_He chuckled calmly, as though he was used to his sister being completely psychotic. _

"You know I had intended in locking myself in my study for the duration of the day for this very reason. I want nothing to do with your prom drama," he mused.

_It was true. He had warned her the night before that he refused to get in the middle of the two girls when they would inevitably butt heads on this day. _

_At the time, she had assured him that wouldn't happen. _

_Over the past few days leading up to prom she and Rebekah, along with the other committee members, had become a well-oiled machine; everything was organized and everything was in place for today to run smoothly. She didn't foresee any problems. _

_Of course, she hadn't anticipated the volatile variable that was Rebekah Mikaelson, coupled with both of their type A personalities. _

_On a stressful day like today, those were disastrous combinations. _

_She rolled her eyes at him and sighed in exasperation. _

"Could you go out there and reason with her? She's crazy!" she cried

_The defeated look on Klaus's face suggested he would take the bait she had laid out. _

"What did Rebekah do?" he groaned.

_Her eyes widened as she prepared to recount everything. _

"Um well for starters, one of her tantrums with the party company resulted in a shattered glass vase, half of which ended up in my foot," she whimpered as she sat on the edge of the desk and rested her right foot across her left knee.

_Shards of glass were dug snugly into the bottom of her foot as beads of blood tried to escape from the wounds. _

_It was made even more painful from the fact that her vampire abilities were trying to heal the wounds with the glass still lodged in her skin. _

_He stood up with an amused grin and walked around the desk to inspect her foot for himself. _

"This isn't funny!" she barked, as she attempted to pull out one of the shards.

_Sure, she was probably being a little over-dramatic about how much pain she was actually in - her vampire abilities had given her a higher pain tolerance after all - but it still hurt. _

_Moreover, she still did have somewhat of a weak stomach, especially when it came to wounds like this. _

"You're funny," he corrected as he knelt down and took her foot in his hand.

_She arched a disapproving brow while he extracted some more glass. _

"When you're angry your forehead wrinkles," he teased.

"I'm serious," she scoffed angrily.

_He shrugged digging his fingers painfully hard into the arch of her foot to remove what felt like the final piece. _

_She winced. _

"Stop being dramatic, love," he mused. "It was only a little spat. You and Rebekah will be over it come tonight," he stated confidently.

_He kissed the bottom of her foot lightly. _

"I'm not being dramatic," she protested.

_Her face was burning hot with anger and emotion. _

"Your sister is the one being dramatic," she accused, trying to ignore the fact that his lips were now on her ankle rather than the location of her injury.

"She won't let me make any of the final decisions," she complained as he stood on his knees in front of her.

"That's terrible," he said, feigning disgustas his lips settled upon her calf while his hand began to inch up the modest pink peasant skirt she was wearing.

_She nodded in agreement_

"She's rearranged the final table floor plan we agreed upon three times today," she listed.

"How rude of her," he mumbled.

_Both of his hands were on each of her calves. His lips had reached her knee. _

"She changed her mind about the floral arrangements," she added, trying to steady her breathing as her long skirt now rested atop her thighs.

"What a pity," he sympathized.

_With his palms on her knees she was too consumed by her thoughts that she barely noticed him push her legs open. _

"Are you even listening to me?" she demanded, glowering down at him as his lips brushed the inside of her thigh.

"I'm listening," he assured her with a smirk against her skin.

_She felt the blood she had recently consumed rush to her centre as he drew closer and hiked her skirt up higher. _

_With the garment bunched up around her waist, her lacy pink thong was perfectly on display for him. _

_Still, she tried to ignore it. _

"Add that on top of the fact that Adrian still hasn't arrived with my dress and the stress of trying to pack for New York. I don't think I'm being dramatic," she concluded.

"We're only going there for a few days," he reminded her as one of his hands slithered up her thigh while his mouth moved closer to her throbbing core.

_She looked down at him incredulously. _

"You're not a girl, you wouldn't understand," she stammered.

"I think you need to relax, love," he murmured before nibbling her thigh lightly with his teeth while his fingers raked along her other leg.

"I can't," she sighed, swallowing hard as her hooded eyes fell closed.

_His hands clasped the skimpy elastic band of her thong. _

"Let me help you," he offered seductively.

_She found herself raising her hips obligingly so that he could free the undergarment. _

"I should really go find your sister," she breathed as he pulled the damp piece of material down her legs.

"Take off your shirt," he instructed, disregarding her second thoughts.

_She looked back down at him to find him staring up at her expectantly. _

_With a deep inhale, she relented, lifting the white off the shoulder t-shirt over her head before letting it fall onto the desk. _

_When the shirt slid off the surface and onto the floor any chance of her going back was removed. Klaus cast the top aside, ditching it across the room. _

_He grinned up at her admiring the sight of her cleavage that peeked out over the white and baby pink cups of her bra. _

_While his hands gripped her thighs he kissed both creases of her thighs teasingly. _

"Let me see your breasts," he requested.

_She hesitated at first, her earlier stresses still consuming her, but she pinched the clasp of her bra undone nevertheless, too intrigued to stop now. _

_It dropped onto the desk beside her. _

_Klaus's eyes travelled up her body lustfully and she quivered. _

"God," he murmured, "you are so incredibly sexy," he admired.

_Her face blushed instantly as heat flooded her core with his words. _

_His hands roamed over her stomach while his mouth lingered dangerously close to her centre. _

_He forced her to support her weight with one palm on the desk as he lifted the other to her chest. _

"Touch yourself. Lay back and touch yourself. Think only of how good it feels," he told her.

_She knew he wasn't compelling her, her eyes had been closed in that moment, but still it felt as though he was. _

_Lying back slowly, her back rested beside his computer and overtop some of his papers. _

_Bringing both of her hands up, she fondled her own breasts and teased her fingers over her nipples. _

_Very quickly, thoughts of her stresses and responsibilities began to fade as the new stimulation clouded her mind and made her entire pussy throb harder for attention. _

"Does it feel good?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

_He pushed her back further onto the desk, enabling the tips of her toes to perch themselves along the edge. _

"You're so kissable," he said as he tortured her with a few soft kisses to her outer lips.

_She bucked her hips suggestively towards his face, whining quietly under her breath while she continued to touch herself. _

"I want to feel you lose control around my fingers, Caroline," he stated, as though it was simply an everyday request. "I want to taste you as you cum. Would you like that?" he asked.

_Delightfully frustrated at this point, she nodded frantically as she tried pushing his lips closer to hers with an encouraging hand in his hair. _

"Just lick me," she pleaded, "please."

_His hands caressed the insides of her thighs and she watched as his mouth inched closer and closer to her aching flesh. _

_She moaned appreciatively when the tip of his tongue brushed a stroke from her slit up to her swollen bud. _

"Yes," she whined as he repeated the action several times.

_His wet tongue lapped against her folds hungrily before his lips settled gently around her clit. _

_When his tongue darted out against the sensitive bundle of nerves her back arched up involuntarily and it was all she could do to continue teasing her breasts herself. _

_She tensed in anticipation when she could feel two of his fingers drawing circles at her opening, coating them in her juices. _

_He continued to lick and suck on her clit as he pushed both of his fingers inside of her slowly. _

_She accommodated them readily and sighed contentedly as he began to move them in and out. _

_At this point she couldn't remember why she was even angry with Rebekah. Even the pain in her foot had settled into a dull ache. _

_The only thing on her mind now was how delicious his mouth felt against her folds; how his fingers always managed to find that spot inside of her that sent her reeling; how hard her nipples were under her own manipulation. _

_He pulled away much to her chagrin in lieu of his earlier stated desires. _

_Her distress was short lived, however, when he stood up slightly and dipped his face back in between her legs as his fingers continued to pump inside of her. _

_His new position enabled him to reach up her torso. _

_She pulled his hand over her breast and mewed at the sensation of his manly palm fondling the sensitive erogenous zone. _

_Her other hand had since ceased its ministrations and now served to stifle her moans. _

_Peering down at the sight of him reveling in the taste of her was the unexpected last straw. _

_It ignited a spark in her that quickly built to an explosion. _

_She squeezed his hand as it curled around hers. _

"Nik," she gasped, her grip on his hand tightening as her entire body began to quake. "Don't stop, I'm cumming!"

_She could feel herself gush around his fingers as her orgasm ripped through her in the form of a handful of euphoric muscle contractions. _

_And when she expected him to stop, he still didn't. _

_Keen to her ultra-sensitivity, he continued to worship her clit with his tongue, triggering pleasant aftershocks while at the same time prepping her body for another speedy follow up release. _

_She muttered a series of incoherent curse words while her fingernails dug into the palm of his hand in an effort to hold on for another. _

_With a final firm flick of his tongue, a guttural moan escaped her lips as she fell from another peak in a matter of a few minutes. _

_She let her legs fall off the desk clumsily as she tried to inhale as much air as she could to recover from a breath she hadn't even been aware that she was holding._

_He kissed her centre lightly before kissing her thighs, and then he sucked her juices from the fingers that had once been buried inside of her. _

_Still holding his hand lazily, she pulled him towards her, prompting him to mark her torso with his lips. _

_Releasing his hand, she propped herself up on her forearms before sitting completely upright as she had been. _

_He tucked a few loose strands of now sweaty hair behind her ears and then outlined the curve of her face. _

_She kissed him eagerly, still tasting her own flavour on his tongue. _

"I love it when you say my name like that," he said against her lips.

"Like what? When I call you 'Nik'?" she inquired.

_He laughed. _

"That too; but how you say it," he clarified, "like I'm the only thing you need."

_She wrapped her legs around his waist and draped her arms around his neck. _

"Because you are," she said plainly before she claimed his lips in a kiss.

_As their kisses grew more passionate, she slipped a hand between them to unbutton his jeans. Unexpectedly, he swatted her hand away. _

"You should probably get back to my sister," he said.

"But..." she was about protest.

_He kissed her. _

"I told you what I wanted, and you gave it to me," he assured her. "How do you feel now?" he wondered.

_She responded with a drawn out exhale. _

"I feel great," she exclaimed, knowing she was well under the influence of endorphins.

_He smiled slyly. _

"Good; that was the intent," he informed her. "We'll continue this later tonight after prom," he smirked, admiring her dishevelled state one final time before picking up her bra and handing it to her. "Do you recall our agreement?" he asked.

_She smiled playfully as she slipped off the desk, letting her skirt fall back below her knees as she put her bra back on. _

_After she located her shirt from half-way across the room, she noticed Klaus playing with a small grey box. _

_She put her shirt on and tried to ignore her curiosity as she headed for the door. _

_He nudged the box towards her on the desk as he opened his computer. _

"It's for you, for tonight," he explained.

_She chewed on her lip, feeling hesitant, before taking the box and opening it. _

_Gasping in annoyance and elation, a conflicted expression crossed her face as she eyed the beautiful earrings inside. _

_The teardrop earrings featured an alluring light purple stone encrusted with small diamonds, which continued up the stem of the earring, to the clasp where the diamonds circled a dainty pearl. _

"It's a purple diamond," he informed her, half occupied by his computer likely in an effort to avoid her reaction.

"They're beautiful," she sighed. "But I can't accept these," she protested uncomfortable with their cost - whatever that might be.

_She saw him roll his eyes. _

"They aren't blood diamonds, so to speak, if that's what you're referring to," he mused.

_While it was comforting to know that he had not killed anyone for them, she was still uncomfortable. _

"Where did you get them?" she asked.

_He shrugged. _

"I ordered them made...through the jewellery store downtown. They have connections to more prestigious jewellery retailers from surrounding cities," he explained.

_Her mouth was agape and she promptly closed it. _

"You got these for me?" she said out loud.

_He glared at her incredulously. _

"Clearly, sweetheart," he mused.

_She shook her head. _

"I mean _especially_ for me," she corrected.

_He nodded. _

"I can't take these," she protested, earning her a frown from Klaus. "It's too much. You don't need to buy me things," she said nervously.

_He groaned as he reclined against his chair. _

"Once upon a time, wearable items like jewellery, gloves, and the like were customary gifts," he told her. "Ladies would acknowledge and wear the gift as a sign that her suitor's affections were reciprocated. It was considered an honour to receive such a gift, and an honour to have such a gift accepted," he explained. "Do you not reciprocate my affections?" he wondered with a bemused grin.

_She rolled her eyes and snapped the box closed. _

"I'll be waiting for you upstairs at midnight," she confirmed as she headed for the door, the small box firmly in her clutches.

* * *

_Somehow she and Rebekah had made it through the rest of the afternoon without ripping each other's heads off. _

_The entire scene was set for the prom. _

_Both the foyer and the ballroom were decorated to perfection. _

_She supposed this resembled the theme of eighteenth century elegance that Rebekah had been aiming for from the beginning. _

_It was almost romantic looking. _

_In the ballroom the already hanging chandeliers created the perfect ambience when dimmed, coupled with the white fabric that was draped from the ceiling. _

_The windows were decorated with embroidered white and gold drapery while the upholstered chairs at the circular dinner tables around the perimeter of the room were almost a perfect match. The long damask table linens accentuated the both the chairs and the centrepieces. _

_Tall and ornate candle holders sat at the centre of each table while a variety of colourful flowers circled them. _

_Flowers and candles were not just confined to the tables. There was not a part of the room that was not decorated with them. Purples, blues, yellows, reds, pinks and whites; the flower assortments and colours were breathtaking. Candles of varying shapes and sizes outlined the perimeter of the room and accentuated the artificial light. _

_The eighteenth century artwork that Rebekah had decided to display for the occasion provided an enhanced legitimacy to their efforts to adhere to the theme. _

_Even though they were pressed for time and still had yet to get ready, both she and Rebekah took more than a few minutes to admire their work come to fruition. _

"It looks flawless," she sighed in relief and admiration.

_Rebekah nodded proudly. _

"It does," Rebekah said with a mystified smile.

"Mystic Falls has never had and never will have a prom like this again," she commented with certainty.

"Do you think?" Rebekah asked hopefully.

_She nodded. _

"You did a great job. Prom wouldn't have looked like this without you," she admitted, a little begrudgingly.

_It was true, though. Even if she had her tense moments with Rebekah, most of this would never have become a reality without her resources. _

"It wouldn't have looked like this without you either," Rebekah admitted. "Thanks for putting up with me."

_She nodded appreciatively, smirking a little at the last part. She could only imagine how hard it was for someone like Rebekah to say that._

* * *

_With the prom ready to go, both she and Rebekah rushed to Rebekah's room to get ready for the event. Another perk to 'putting up with' Rebekah was having access to the hair stylists and make-up artists she had hired especially for the occasion. _

_It was nice having someone else look after the stressful things. All she had to do was show up. _

_If the compelled hair-stylist wasn't being so rough with her hair, she could have probably taken a nap__._

_The stress never really went away though. She was anxious about what her hair would look like and she was terrified that Adrian would be late bringing her dress. _

"Are you excited for tonight?" she asked Rebekah, needing a distraction from her worries.

_Rebekah sighed as she looked straight ahead into the bathroom mirror. _

"I'm nervous actually," Rebekah laughed lightly. "This is the first high school dance that I might actually get to go to."

_She enjoyed sharing in Rebekah's normal experiences that she had taken for granted as a human teenager herself. Really, it wasn't that long ago when she was attending her first high school dance. _

"With a date no less," she smiled, excited that Matt had seemed to sway his opinion on Rebekah, at least enough to escort her to prom.

_Rebekah grinned. _

"I hope he likes my dress," Rebekah thought self-consciously.

_She scoffed and flashed Rebekah an eye roll. _

"Matt really isn't into fashion," she said.

_A worried look crossed Rebekah's face. _

"But he's a guy. He's going to love the way you look in your dress," she assured her much to Rebekah's satisfaction.

"It's a shame that Nik can't be your date tonight," Rebekah said.

_She shrugged dismissively, even though there was a part of her that was disappointed. _

"He's not really into this stuff anyways, and I mean I'll still see him around..." she pointed out.

"Yeah, but you won't get to dance with him; he's a teacher chaperone after all," Rebekah reminded her.

_She laughed at Rebekah's failed efforts to try and make her feel better. Friendship social skills were still something Rebekah was learning to grasp. _

"Sorry," Rebekah said.

"It's okay. Besides, I don't want Stefan brooding all night while Damon and Elena are here," she said.

_Rebekah nodded. _

"You are a good friend to Stefan," Rebekah told her. "It's funny how both you and Nik have befriended him," she mused.

"Do you ever resent your brother at all for compelling Stefan to forget you in the twenties?" she asked, curious to know Rebekah's answer.

"I did at first," Rebekah sighed, "but Nik was doing it to protect Stefan as much as he was us. I understand that. When Nik undaggered me I had to accept that Stefan had moved on and move on myself, which I'm doing. Stefan was and is eternally pining after the doppelganger," Rebekah groaned. "I don't understand why you insist on trying to return to her good graces."

_She shrugged with an annoyed stare in Rebekah's direction. _

"I stopped insisting on it a while ago. It's Elena who has been making the effort this week," she told Rebekah. "Elena and I were best friends since we were babies. I don't want to just give something like that up, especially now," she explained.

_Rebekah looked at her curiously through the mirror. _

"Because soon you'll be leaving with Nik and you want to retain some of your old life while you still can..." Rebekah assumed.

_She supposed that was an accurate way of putting it. Beyond valuing Elena's friendship, she didn't want to close this chapter of her life with an unhappy ending. She wanted to look back on her memories with Elena without the taint of a permanent falling out. _

"I guess you could say that," she said finally.

"Are you nervous about leaving with Nik?" Rebekah asked bluntly.

_Glaring at Rebekah through the mirror she laughed a little dismissively at her question before nodding slightly. _

"Of course I'm a little nervous. I've never been outside of Mystic Falls, and I've never been completely alone with your brother for more than a few hours. If you take the cure and stay behind, and Kol and Elijah decide to head in different directions, it really will just be me and him," she explained.

_Rebekah gave her an understanding smile. _

"We can still talk," Rebekah said. "I can still verbally disparage Nik when he gets out of line."

_She nodded solemnly and Rebekah quickly caught on. _

_If Rebekah was returned to her human state now, they really wouldn't have that long from a vampire's perspective; a handful of decades at most, just like Matt, just like her mom, just like Elena once she took the cure. _

_They sat there mostly quiet for the rest of the time it took for the stylists to get their hair and makeup just right. Admittedly, when they were done, it had been worth the pain and the time. They both looked great. _

_Rebekah's hair was half up and half down in loose curls, with much of it sitting atop her head in a toned down style reminiscent of those belonging to prominent eighteenth century ladies. She also had a few ornate feathers clipped into her hair for decoration. _

_Her own hair was similar to Rebekah's, save for the fact that it had been put up entirely and she had pale pink flowers pinned into her hair instead of feathers. She could already feel the weight atop her head and she knew by the end of the night she'd be letting her hair down literally. _

_Their eye makeup was fairly simple aside from the black fake eyelashes that had been applied. Their cheeks were pink with rouge, and Rebekah wore a dusty rose lip colour while she opted for a more subtle pink. _

_Once the stylists were gone, they helped each other into their dresses. _

_They started with Rebekah's first because tying the corset at the back was a process in and of itself. _

"You know, I should probably be thanking you," Rebekah said.

"You already did," she pointed out, referring to prom as she admired the soft blue of Rebekah's dress and the detailed corset.

"Not for prom, I mean for my brother; about what we were discussing earlier. If I take the cure, it will be because of you; Nik will let me have it because of you and I'll be ready to take it because you'll be here with him when I'm gone," Rebekah explained.

_Her hands tensed around the ribbon of the corset. _

"You're welcome," she said, still a little taken off guard.

_Rebekah nodded as they transitioned into an awkward silence as they often did after a personal moment between them. _

_She finished tying Rebekah's corset and she traded places with Rebekah so that she could fasten her dress. _

"You're going to love New York," Rebekah said finally, switching to something more lighthearted. "I implore you to drag Nik along Madison and Fifth Avenues. You'll be in shopping heaven and Nik will be in hell the entire time," Rebekah chuckled.

_She laughed, picturing herself dragging Klaus into Saks or Tiffany & Co. _

"You have to see a show on Broadway, visit Times Square, and I'm sure Nik will take you to the MET Opera and the Museum of Art. Go to Central Park, ride the subway, and eat street meat," Rebekah listed. "And no, I'm not talking about homeless people," Rebekah laughed.

_Nodding with an amused smirk, she began to make a check-list in her head. _

"Don't worry, my brother will have it covered," Rebekah assured her as she slowly pulled the zipper up on the back of her dress.

_She sighed as she appraised herself in front of the mirror. _

_Everything about it was perfect; she admired the crystal embellishments on the sweetheart neckline, then the form fitting ruched bodice and then she let her eyes fall upon the bustled skirt. _

"If the dress was a little whiter, you could pass for a bride," Rebekah teased.

_She scoffed laughingly at Rebekah's suggestion of marriage. _

"Don't tell that to Klaus," she mused.

_Marriage was never something she foresaw with Klaus, at least in the traditional sense of the word. She believed they had already subtly committed themselves to one another; and that was enough for her. That was all she ultimately wanted anyways; not a wedding. _

_However, she was happy prom gave her the chance to dress up and picture what she might look like. _

_Once in their dresses, they both sought out their jewellery. _

_She watched as Rebekah secured both the ornate diamond earrings and necklace, before she herself fastened the bracelet that Klaus had given on her on her birthday to her wrist. Her neck was going to be left bare, she decided. She liked the simplicity of that, besides, the earrings would be enough, she thought as she reluctantly opened the grey box. _

"I was wondering if Nik had given you those yet," Rebekah said. "He showed them to me the other night. I've been dying to tell you," Rebekah laughed.

_Rebekah quickly noted her reluctant expression as she put the earrings on. _

"You don't like them?" Rebekah asked with a frown.

_She shook her head instantly. _

"I love them. I just wish he would stop buying me gifts like these," she sighed.

_Rebekah shrugged. _

"Most girls would slap you for complaining," Rebekah pointed out with a grin. "It's what Nik does. As you know, he's not exactly the most emotive person, so he buys gifts instead. Who do you think got me this necklace?" Rebekah mused as she fingered the jewellery.

_She looked at Rebekah questioningly. _

"The fight was so long ago now; I think it was over our siblings. He gave me this as an apology," Rebekah informed her. "Plus it's not as big of a deal to him as it is you. We've lived through times when gifting jewellery was quite customary for those who could afford it," Rebekah explained.

"That's what he said," she replied as she fixed the second earring to her earlobe.

"It's affirming to him if you accept his gifts," Rebekah said simply. "Now come on," Rebekah urged, handing her the heels she had picked out earlier in the week.

_She slipped into her white open-toe shoes, while Rebekah fastened the silver ones she had selected. _

_With their heels on, they grabbed their boutonnieres for their dates and Rebekah pulled her by her arm towards the door excitedly. _

"The prom can't start without its queen," Rebekah teased smugly.

* * *

_Looking down into the foyer from the second floor, some of their fellow students were beginning to arrive for the dinner portion of the evening. _

_She noticed her mom at the front entrance, keeping an eye on those who were entering for any signs of drug impairment while one of the teacher chaperone's, Ms. Conn, was keeping track of the guest list. _

_Before she could look for Stefan or Klaus, she was interrupted by a clearing throat. _

"Well don't you look radiant," Kol said, looking straight at her.

_Rebekah scowled. _

"You look okay too, Bekah," Kol said indifferently, much to Rebekah's chagrin.

_She smirked, knowing Kol was only messing with her. _

_Kol then turned in a circle. _

"How do I look ladies?" Kol asked smugly at the foot of the stairs.

_He was dressed in a tux. _

"What the hell do you think you're doing Kol?" Rebekah demanded.

"I recall Nik saying they were short a few chaperones. I am here to save the day," he beamed. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a certain witch goddess I need to track down," he informed them.

"Bonnie has a date already, Kol," she told him. "Jeremy Gilbert," she added.

_He shrugged as he held out both of his arms to them as they approached the stairs. _

_She linked her arm with his reluctantly, as Rebekah did the same. _

"A little friendly competition never hurt anyone," Kol winked. "Jeremy and I were best mates in Denver."

_Rolling her eyes, she concentrated on the task of descending the stairs without falling down them. The last thing she needed was to trip on her dress as she and Rebekah made their entrance. _

_She noticed that Matt was now talking to her mother. Looking over at Rebekah, she saw her grow visibly nervous as they reached the bottom of the stairs. _

"Look at all these lovely ladies," Kol admired, scanning the girls as they walked by in their dresses.

"I thought you had eyes for Bonnie?" she laughed as he released both her and Rebekah's arms.

_He flashed a devious smirk before disappearing into the slowly building crowd. _

_Rebekah's eyes were planted firmly in the direction of Matt and her mother. _

"Let's go over," she said to Rebekah.

_Rebekah followed her hesitantly. _

"Hey," she said, grabbing their attention.

_Matt looked to her and then to Rebekah, while her mom's eyes widened at the sight of her. _

"Caroline, honey, you look amazing," her mom admired. "The dress looks fantastic on you."

"Thanks mom," she smiled, happy that her mom had now seemed to forget her previous concerns over the dress's expense.

_In the midst of her conversation with her mom about remembering to take pictures, she overheard Matt and Rebekah exchange words. He told her how beautiful she looked and she anxiously told him how handsome he looked. She found herself blushing for the both of them as Matt placed a pale blue flower and feathered corsage on Rebekah's wrist, and she awkwardly pinned the boutonniere to his suit lapel. _

"I'm going to show Matt the ballroom," Rebekah informed her.

_She nodded to them both before returning to her mother. _

"Have you seen Stefan or Klaus?" she asked.

"I think Klaus is shirking his chaperone responsibilities in the parlour with Stefan and Elijah," her mother mused. "They look very handsome tonight," she added.

_She smirked. _

"I should go find them," she said.

"And I should get back to work. Have fun tonight, sweetie," her mother said.

_She smiled and nodded before escaping through the foyer towards the parlour._

* * *

_The doors were closed but inside the room she could hear Klaus, Stefan, and Elijah mulling over new plans for tracking the hunter. They were considering the possibility that perhaps he had fled from Mystic Falls. _

_She knocked briefly before opening the doors. _

"Is my date in here?" she laughed, looking to Stefan who was relaxing on the sofa with a drink in hand.

_He was dressed in a black suit and tie with a white collared dress shirt underneath. She was sure he would give Damon a run for his money tonight. _

_Elijah was sitting across from him, dressed predictably in a suit himself, looking no less handsome than Stefan. _

_Klaus had his back to her as he leaned into the fireplace mantel, but quickly turned when he heard her voice. _

_Stefan and Elijah both stood upon her entrance as Klaus stared her down. _

_She couldn't help but feel self-conscious under his intense gaze. _

_It was a surprise to her to see him dressed for the occasion. His own suit was modern and unique, seemingly inspired by the eighteenth century. He wore a plan white dress shirt with no tie and black pants. His black coat was longer than the traditional suit jacket and featured a high collar, cuffs, pocket flaps on each side and silver buttons down the front. She almost had to shake herself from the similar gaze she was giving him. He looked impressive. _

"You look lovely tonight, Caroline," Elijah said, looking across to Stefan, who smiled and seconded Elijah's opinion before glaring at Klaus.

"She looks stunning," Klaus said before lowering his drink glass from his lips as his eyes remained fixed on her.

_She smiled at the three of them and complimented their formal attire before approaching Stefan with his boutonniere. Ignoring Klaus's annoyed stare and bitter jokes about accidentally stabbing Stefan with the pin, she successfully attached the simple white flower to his lapel before he slipped the soft pink and white flowered corsage he had gotten her on her wrist. _

"I think dinner will be starting soon," she informed Stefan. "We should probably get out there."

_Stefan looked reluctant as he swallowed down the remainder of his alcoholic beverage. _

"All right, let's go," he sighed, extending his arm to her as he headed for the entrance to the parlour.

_Stefan smirked at Klaus in a playful way as he linked arms with her. She nodded to both Elijah and Klaus before giving Klaus an apologetic and sympathetic smile. _

_She knew that he knew deep down that going to the prom with Stefan was not her first choice or anything for him to be concerned about. Truthfully, she wanted it to be Klaus that escorted her to prom, who she danced with, who bought her the corsage. He had to know that._

* * *

_When they arrived to their table, she was surprised to see all the familiar faces. This was not what she and Rebekah had agreed upon and she glared at Rebekah with distaste. _

_At the large circular table sat: Rebekah, Matt, Bonnie, Jeremy, Damon, and Elena. _

_Stefan looked annoyed. _

_She was sure she looked mortified; not for herself, but for Stefan. _

_Here she had convinced Stefan, against his better judgement, to be her date to prom despite Damon and Elena's attendance, and now he would be confronted by them throughout dinner. _

_Putting on a good show, they greeted everyone and Stefan politely pulled out a chair for her to sit. _

_She could tell Stefan was already on edge, and she wished this wasn't a teenage prom, because then at least he could have some more alcohol to calm his nerves. Perhaps they could return to the parlour later to grab a drink. _

_They sat directly across from Damon and Elena. _

"I love your dress, Caroline. It's gorgeous," Bonnie commented, quickly attempting to relieve the awkwardness.

_She smiled and admired the strapless lavender gown Bonnie had chosen for herself. _

"You're dress looks beautiful too," she said to Elena, complimenting the pale green dress she was wearing.

_She was trying insanely hard to mediate between her mending friendship with her, and being respectful of Stefan's discomfort with the situation. _

_Elena thanked her appreciatively. _

_Damon raised his water glass with a mischievous look. _

"Well if there's one thing we can agree on tonight, it's that all the ladies at this table look fantastic," he mused, staring at Stefan as he tipped his glass towards him.

_Everyone toasted quietly to that and much to her relief dinner was set to be served before their table could fall into a deafening silence. _

_The dinner was buffet style so everyone had options; it didn't consist of pre-selected courses like Klaus's birthday. After all, they had to cater the prom primarily to teenagers, not old world vampires. There were various meats, pastas, salads, and desserts to choose from. _

_They all ate their dinner quietly. She only grew anxious when they started to finish their desserts and she noticed the others growing restless. _

"So where's your teacher boyfriend?" Damon asked curiously. "Has he found the hunter yet?" he remarked critically.

_Elena nudged him with her arm disapprovingly as everyone else glared at him. _

"Feel free to say all of that a little louder, Damon," Rebekah scowled sarcastically.

_She shrugged in Damon's direction. _

"He's around with Elijah somewhere," she replied simply. "He's working on another plan for the hunter," she said lowly.

"Is that before or after you jet set to New York?" Damon countered.

_Stefan groaned under his breath. _

"Give it a rest Damon. They're only going to be gone for a few days. Klaus has me looking into some things while they're gone," Stefan piped up.

_Damon raised his eyebrows. _

"Oh really? Good to know," Damon muttered.

"You're going to New York?" Bonnie interjected, as she shot Damon a dirty look.

_She smiled in Bonnie's direction with an excited nod. _

"Yes, we are. It's for Klaus's birthday," she said.

"New York is so much fun," Elena commented. "Jer, remember when mom and dad took us there?"

_Jeremy laughed. _

"You guys almost lost me in Central Park," he muttered.

_Everyone smirked at the lighthearted story. _

"That's because you wouldn't stop feeding you popcorn to the birds and you kept falling behind," Elena reminded him.

"Maybe you could lose Klaus in Central Park when you go?" Damon suggested to her with a grin.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Maybe you could shut your mouth?" Rebekah said, "Or perhaps you'd like me to shut it for you," she hissed.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm taken now," he said smugly as he put an unwelcome arm around Elena who seemed completely uncomfortable with the situation.

"Shut up, Damon," Matt said in Rebekah's defense.

_Damon's eyebrows rose and he feigned fright as he recoiled in his chair. _

_Rebekah looked towards Matt with an impressed smile. _

"How about we talk about something else," Elena proposed, "like how great this place looks," she said, shifting her focus in between her and Rebekah.

"Thanks," Rebekah said proudly, cutting her off before she could speak. "It was a lot of work."

"Well it looks amazing," Bonnie said as she looked around the room.

_Elena nodded. _

"I don't think Mystic Falls High has ever had a prom like this before," Elena pointed out much to Rebekah's delight.

"Caroline helped too," Rebekah said with a playful grin.

"Helped?" she scowled laughingly. "More like helped you plan the entire thing," she corrected.

"Fine, however you want to word it," Rebekah relented.

_Damon snorted. _

"Well whoever planned the seating assignments did a great job," Damon said sarcastically as he stood up from his chair as the music from the DJ grew louder and the lights began to dim in preparation for the dance portion of the evening.

_Elena looked at him curiously. _

"I'm gonna go track down some of Klaus's liquor supply. I need an adult beverage," Damon informed them.

"Good riddance," Rebekah groaned.

_Everyone else at the table seemed to be smirking at Rebekah's comment save for Elena, who, for obvious reasons, was uncomfortable. _

_Empathizing with Elena, she excused herself from the table and grabbed Elena's hand. _

"Come on, let's go dance. We need to get people out on the floor," she said with a bubbly tone, hoping it would rub off on Elena.

_Nodding reluctantly, Elena took her hand and stood up from her chair and followed her. _

"I'm sorry about Damon," Elena quickly apologized once they were alone.

_She shook her head. _

"You don't have to apologize. Everyone knows how Damon can be," she said.

"He's just uncomfortable because of Stefan," Elena pointed out as they started to move to some dance remix.

_Luckily, others soon began to join them. _

_She smiled sympathetically at Elena_.

"Let's just try and have a good time tonight, okay?" she suggested.

_Elena nodded enthusiastically as Bonnie approached. _

"This is our senior prom. We've been dreaming about this since we were kids," she laughed.

"I'm glad we could be here together," Bonnie said, looking to her and then to Elena, subtly referencing their recent troubles.

"Do you guys mind if I ask Rebekah to join us?" she said to Bonnie and Elena. "She looks like she's stuck in the middle of male bonding time," she mused, nodding her head towards their table, where Stefan, Jeremy, and Matt were laughing about something while a bored Rebekah looked on.

_Bonnie shook her head and even Elena seemed somewhat receptive to the idea. _

_Rebekah willingly joined them and they danced like that for a while as the DJ pumped the crowd up with several upbeat songs right in a row._

* * *

_By the time a slow song started she had received quite the work out trying to keep up to the pace of the music in her heavy dress. _

_When Damon approached Elena to dance, she quickly made her way over to Stefan. _

_She didn't want him to be sitting alone. Moreover, she didn't want to be sitting there alone with him. _

"Come on, you're my date!" she cajoled him. "You have to give me one slow dance at my senior prom," she argued.

_Stefan laughed and accepted her hand, before pulling her to the opposite end of the dance floor where Damon and Elena were. _

"Rebekah must have changed the seating assignments at the last minute to stir the pot. I'm sorry tonight has been awkward," she apologized to him as they began to dance.

_Stefan shrugged. _

"It's not a big deal. Damon and I live under the same roof, we can handle sitting at the same table for a few hours," he chuckled.

_She nodded. _

"It must be a little uncomfortable living together," she inferred.

"It's not necessarily a permanent thing," Stefan said, "just until we get the cure..."

"And Elena decides what she wants," she said, filling in the blanks.

_Stefan laughed lightly and shook his head. _

_They danced quietly for a few seconds before Stefan spoke again. _

"Thanks for being my date tonight," she said.

"You're welcome. To be honest, it's nice. I've never actually been to a prom even though I've attended high school a few times," he chuckled.

_She smiled. _

"I don't think Klaus appreciates me being your date, though. He's been watching us like a hawk with Elijah since we started dancing," Stefan mused.

_Tensing suspiciously, she glanced around the room until she saw Klaus standing with Elijah eyeing her from the far entrance. _

_She smirked. _

"What do you think he would do if you put your hands a little lower?" she laughed jokingly.

_Stefan erupted into laughter with her. _

"Either his head would explode instantly, or he'd rip mine clear off my shoulders," Stefan supposed.

_She noticed Klaus scowl. _

"He's listening to us," she pointed out.

"Of course he is," Stefan said.

_With his cover blown, she watched as Klaus disappeared into the other room with Elijah. _

"So you're really leaving with him once the hunter and the cure have been dealt with?" Stefan inquired.

_She nodded unapologetically. _

"I am," she said confidently. "I want to see the world with him."

_Stefan smirked and nodded back politely. _

"I know," he said. "I want that for you. I want you to be happy."

_His words made her smile. _

"Thanks for saying that," she said.

"I'm not just saying it, Caroline. I'm being sincere," he assured her.

"You know if things don't work out with Elena, you could always meet up with us," she offered.

_Stefan laughed. _

"Klaus kind of offered me the same deal," he said hesitantly.

_She knew why he was hesitating, Klaus had told her. _

"But you're hoping Klaus will let you have the cure," she said. "Klaus told me."

_He nodded. _

"And that's what you want? To be human, and not just for Elena?" she confirmed.

"I've wanted to be human long before Elena," he affirmed.

_She sighed, feeling conflicted. Stefan taking the cure would mean someone else she would eventually lose in a few decades. _

_Covering up her hesitation with a smile, she nodded. _

"Then I want that for you. I want you to be happy," she said back to him.

"I'm just not sure that's what Klaus wants for me," Stefan mentioned.

_She shrugged. _

"I think he misses the friendship you two once had. He doesn't want to lose that for good. I think he'll come around though," she said, trying to restore his hope.

_Truthfully she didn't know what Klaus would do with the cure when they found it. Sure, he would cure Elena, but he hadn't said definitively one way or the other if he would make the cure available to others who may want it - namely Stefan and Rebekah. _

"How about we don't talk about the hunter, the cure, or Damon, or even Klaus," Stefan suggested. "Let's just try and enjoy ourselves. We don't get many opportunities to," he added.

_She smiled in agreement. _

_They returned to their table after the dance and she was surprised to see Jeremy return alone. _

"Where's Bonnie?" she asked Jeremy as he sat down as another slow song started to play.

"Kol thought he would cut in," Jeremy replied bitterly. "That guy's an asshole."

_She smirked at Jeremy's insult. _

"He seems pretty interested in Bonnie," Stefan noted, nodding his head towards the dance floor.

_First she spotted Rebekah and Matt, then Damon and Elena, before she finally placed Kol and Bonnie. They were dancing closely and he seemed to be whispering sweet nothings in her ear, likely feeding her every line he could think of. Bonnie didn't entirely seem to mind either._

* * *

_When the song was over and the upbeat songs returned, Rebekah pulled her back out onto the dance floor. _

_She really wanted to check-in with Klaus, but Rebekah brushed her concerns aside, arguing that she would have lots of time to "check-in" with him after prom was over. _

_A dance break came after a few more songs so they could take their prom pictures in the foyer. There was still no sign of Klaus. _

_Afterwards, they danced some more and she listened to Rebekah squeal however how cute Matt was, and what a perfect gentleman he was. It was cute to the point of being annoying at times_

_Eventually, Elena and Bonnie joined them for a few more dances, and before they knew it, it was already ten o'clock and the DJ was turning down the music in preparation for the announcement of Prom King and Queen. _

_She was not surprised to hear Rebekah and Matt's names announced. Rebekah had been spreading the word like wildfire around the school to vote for her and Matt was basically a shoe in given his status as varsity quarterback. _

_Surprisingly, she wasn't disappointed. She was actually happy to see Rebekah practically run up on stage, dragging Matt behind her, to accept her crown. _

_Rebekah was overjoyed and she found herself smiling at the two as they were crowned king and queen of the prom. _

_Even though Rebekah had a way of getting on her last nerve, after everything she had been through Rebekah deserved this little life experience. _

_She took this moment as her opportunity to search for Klaus. _

_He had seemed to be MIA all evening and now, while everyone was distracted, she decided to look for him. _

_Stepping out into the hall off the ballroom, she pretended to be perusing the eighteenth century art that had been put on display as her eyes scanned for Klaus. _

_She stopped in her tracks when she saw her mother talking to the vice principal in the distance. _

_Instead of heading back the other way, she decided to wait until they disappeared from view. She kept her attention occupied by one painting in particular. _

_It was a portrait of a woman, obviously of some importance. She was dressed almost in what appeared to be a man's outfit or military uniform. It intrigued her. _

"Marie Antoinette," Klaus's voice said from behind her.

_She jumped a little, sucking in a sharp breath. He had startled her. _

_He stepped beside her, keeping a professional distance. _

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he mused.

_She smirked and returned her attention to the painting. _

"She kind of looks like a man," she pointed out.

_He laughed. _

"She's dressed in ladies hunting attire; that's why," he explained. "She was actually fairly beautiful in real life," he added.

"You knew her?" she asked curiously.

_He shook his head. _

"No not really. Rebekah attended court at Versailles a few times during Marie's reign though. This is one of her favourite paintings. I obtained it for her in Vienna," he said.

_She wondered what he meant by the use of the word, 'obtain.' _

"I think Rebekah likes it precisely because she looks masculine in the painting. She looks strong, commanding. She seems to be subverting gender roles," he described. "Rebekah had feminist ideals long before they were popular," he chuckled.

_She nodded and re-examined the painting with a newfound appreciation. _

"You remind me of her," he said.

"Rebekah?" she laughed.

_He laughed with her. _

"Well you can be as hard-headed and stubborn as her, but I meant Marie, just in the way you're dressed tonight," he told her.

"Will you be my Louis then?" she mused, garnering another laugh and dimpled smile from him.

"I don't particularly feel like having my head chopped off by a guillotine," he joked. "I'd rather be Fersen - her lover," he grinned, pulling her suddenly by the arm.

_She shrieked as he tugged her into the dining room and she hoped no one seen or heard them. _

_He shut the doors to the empty room. _

_She could hear the slow music playing loudly in the other room for Rebekah's dance with Matt._

_When he extended a hand to her she looked at him curiously. _

_She took it reluctantly as she studied his mischievous eyes and he quickly brought his other arm around her waist. Instinctively she grasped his shoulder. _

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Dance with me," he requested.

_She laughed awkwardly as he began to lead their movements. _

"My sister won the title of Prom Queen. Think of this as your consolation prize," he mused.

_She smiled at his thoughtfulness and her movements loosened as she overcame the initial embarrassment of dancing in an empty room with him. _

"This is better than a consolation prize," she told him, before kissing him lightly on the lips. "You look handsome tonight...sexy even," she admitted shyly against his ear.

_She felt him smirk approvingly against her cheek. _

"You really do look stunning tonight," he said, reciprocating her compliment. "And it pleases me to see you wearing the jewellery I gave you," he added.

_She laughed nervously. _

"Thank you," she replied, "for the jewellery, the dress, tonight, _everything_," she emphasized.

"It will always be my desire to treat you as a queen, Caroline," he reassured her. "Never question that."

_Sighing contentedly, she rested her head on his shoulder. _

"You're safe with me," he said.

"I know," she said confidently.

_She felt safe. _

_His words had instilled a relaxing calmness in her. It eased her worries and senseless paranoid reservations about their future together. _

_They danced quietly for the remainder of the song. _

_At some point in their relationship she no longer felt the need to interrupt silence when she was with him. She could just be with him like this. Nothing needed to be said. _

_With the slow song coming to an end, the fast music quickly resumed and the bass started to pound against the wall. _

"You should probably get out there and congratulate my sister and find Stefan before they begin to wonder where you are," he said, lightly kissing along her bare shoulder and neck.

_She sighed reluctantly. _

_Prom was not where she wanted to be. _

_He chuckled when she stayed firmly glued to him. _

"We can't hide in the dining room for the remainder of the night, sweetheart," he mused.

_With the idea implanted in her mind, she playfully pushed him into the nearest wall at vampire speed. _

_He released a throaty laugh that made her skin shiver. _

"We could," she argued, pressing her lips temptingly to his neck.

_She kissed hungrily up his jaw before he took the bait. He grabbed her chin forcefully as he pulled her face to his and consumed her lips in a penetrating kiss. _

_Moaning gratefully against his mouth, she was startled when he reversed their positions and pinned her against the wall with his hands shackling hers. _

_He littered frantic kisses down her neck and onto her cleavage as she let the heat of the moment overtake her. _

_His lips returned to her ear and that's when his hands released her unexpectedly. _

"I'll see you at midnight," he whispered seductively before heading for the doors as she was left a panting mess against the wall.

_He knew how to play the game so well._

* * *

_After she regained her composure and waited a few minutes to avoid suspicion, she re-entered the hallway and went searching for Rebekah. _

_In the process she passed Bonnie playfully rebuking Kol in the foyer and she had to wonder where Jeremy was in that moment. Sure, he and Bonnie were just friends now, but still. She didn't want Kol causing problems. He could definitely be an instigator when he wanted to be. _

_She walked back into the ballroom to have her questions answered. _

_Jeremy seemed to be getting fresh with Michelle, one of the other prom committee members, on the dance floor. _

_She shrugged and shook her head. _

_Damon and Elena were also dancing, thankfully out of Stefan's sight. _

_He was at their table with Matt, and Rebekah was off in another corner displaying her Prom Queen crown for all those who wanted to see. _

_She returned to the table with an enthusiastic smile. _

"Congratulations," she said to Matt, nodding her head towards the king crown atop his head.

_He laughed almost embarrassingly. _

"Rebekah doesn't want me to take the damn thing off," he muttered.

_She smirked. _

"You look cute," she teased.

"Where did you disappear to?" Stefan questioned.

"Bathroom?" she proposed innocently.

_Stefan gave her a knowing smile. _

_After just barely being able to bring up Bonnie to ensure that Kol had not been up to anything too troublesome, Rebekah pulled her aside to show off her Prom Queen crown. _

_She humoured Rebekah with dramatic excitement and interest before they both returned to the dance floor to live out the remainder of their senior prom. _

_Upon working up a sweat on the dance floor, she gave in and headed for the beverage table to retrieve drinks for her and Rebekah to cool off. _

_Their prom was almost over and the both of them had convinced Matt and Stefan to dance to one more slow song before the night was out. _

_A familiar voice called after her as she retrieved some punch from the server. _

_It was Dean. _

_She scoffed under her breath. _

_Klaus did say he would have his hybrid security detail in full force tonight in lieu of the event and the hunter's continued ability to evade capture. _

_Admittedly, she still felt a little guilty for that whole kidney extraction thing Klaus had put Dean through. _

"Dean," she greeted him.

_He was dressed in a plain suit like most of the other teenage boys here. Klaus had obviously wanted him to fit in with the crowd. _

"You look pretty tonight, Caroline," he complimented.

_She tried hard not to roll her eyes, knowing that his compliment was either something Klaus had suggested, or something Dean had felt was necessary to please his sire. _

"Thank you," she said, nonetheless.

"Klaus wants you to meet him out back," he said.

_She gave him a confused look. _

"He told me to tell you that there's been a change in plans," Dean said. "He said something about repeating the other night."

_She blushed as she realized what Klaus had been referring to when he spoke to Dean. _

"Okay, I'll go find him," she agreed, proceeding to step passed him.

_Dean held her wrist gently. _

"Klaus insisted that I escort you," he said.

_She rolled her eyes. _

"Did he threaten to have you rip out your kidney this time too if you didn't follow his orders?" she wondered.

_He chuckled. _

"Something like that," he answered.

_She exhaled disapprovingly before relenting to Dean out of guilt and curiosity to see what Klaus had in store. _

_They stopped at her table first so she could drop Rebekah's drink off. She also informed Stefan of what was happening and released him thankfully from his prom date duties. He seemed relieved and ready to leave. _

_Elijah was in the hall talking to her mother as she and Dean attempted to make their escape. _

"Where are you off to?" Elijah asked, looking at both her and Dean suspiciously.

_She laughed innocently as she glanced at both Elijah and her mother. _

"Klaus needs to see me apparently," she informed them, looking to Dean for back up.

"It's important," Dean reiterated.

_Elijah nodded with a knowing smile, much like Stefan had earlier. _

_Her cheeks went red before focusing on her mom. _

"Well I'll be leaving in a little while sweetie, so enjoy the rest of your night," her mom said simply.

_She said goodnight to both her mom and Elijah before following Dean through to the back of the house. _

_He opened the door for her and she stepped out onto the back terrace. _

"He's waiting down at the patio," Dean informed her.

_She nodded and stepped ahead, descending the stairs for the stone patio. _

_There she encountered two people she had not been expecting to see; who she had only realized now__,__ had been absent from prom the entire night. _

"Tyler? Hayley?" she said confused.

_That's when Dean grabbed her from behind._

* * *

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN**

**Don't hate me please? **

**Feel free to send me your thoughts and predictions. **

**The next chapter may have a little of Caroline's POV, but most of it will be from Klaus's, so get ready. **


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: So basically you guys are amazing. I think I reached over 60 reviews for the last chapter alone. My story has over 1,100 reviews. That's crazy! :) **

**This is definitely a chaotic, confusing, sad, roller coaster of a chapter, so prepare yourselves. **

**Once you have recovered, I'm dying to know what you think...  
**

**Please ignore any spelling/grammatical issues. I gave this a quicker edit than usual so I could post it sooner!  
**

* * *

_She recoiled under his grip, kicking frantically at his legs with her heels, and clawing his arms with her manicured fingernails. _

_As a hybrid, his strength was no match for hers. _

_Upon releasing a scream, Dean quickly stuffed a tattered piece of fabric down her throat. _

_What the hell was happening she wondered as she looked pleadingly to a bewildered Tyler with tears in her eyes. _

_Quickly, her hands were tied behind her back in torturous vervain ropes. _

_Still, she fought, thrashing her body against Dean to no avail. _

"Weaken her. She's a feisty one," Dean hissed to Hayley.

_Her eyes widened when Hayley pulled a gun from her jacket. _

"Whoa, we got her Hayley, let's just get out of here," Tyler hesitated.

_A glimmer of hope returned to her as it appeared Tyler was experiencing a sudden guilty conscience. _

_Hayley rolled her eyes at Tyler. _

"Do you really think those vervain ropes are gonna hold her?" Hayley scoffed. "Relax Ty, these will ensure her cooperation. Remember the little vampire slut who left you for Klaus? This is her. The little vampire slut Klaus killed Jason over in the woods," Hayley said, trying to sway Tyler back to her side.

_Jason must have been the gray wolf. _

_Before Tyler was able to speak, Hayley pulled the trigger. She pulled the trigger more than once._

_A silencer quieted the noise. _

_She was hit in the legs with a succession of vervained wooden bullets. _

_The next thing she remembered was collapsing onto the stone patio from the pain. She felt her body slam against the hard surface and heard her cell phone crack as it fell out from inside the bodice of her dress. _

_Her vision and other senses were blurry. She felt like she was in some state of shock. _

_More shots were fired, but they did not hit her. At least, she didn't feel them. _

_Despite feeling paralyzed, she managed to turn her head to the side to see Dean fall down beside her. _

_Wooden bullets were lodged in his throat, rendering him incapable of speech. _

_Relief started to flood her system as she anticipated Klaus was there. _

_When an unfamiliar army like boot planted itself firmly against Dean's chest, she began to have second thoughts. _

_She thought she could hear a confused Tyler demanding to know what the hell was going on; protesting that this wasn't the plan. _

_What plan did he mean?_

_With struggle, she managed to turn herself enough to look up just in time to see a machete swing down beside her and sever Dean's head from his body. _

_Frightened tears spilled from her eyes and she wondered if she would meet the same fate as Dean. _

_Her vision was just clear enough to confirm that the man wielding the weapon was indeed the hunter they had been after. _

_His eyes bore down into hers defiantly and she began to panic. _

_Fighting against the pain of the vervain ropes and poisonous wooden bullets, she turned her body away from the hunter to be met with Tyler's body dropping to the ground on the other side of her. _

_He seemed paralyzed but she could see the fear etched on his face, his water eyes, and quivering lips. _

_Bullets had also been lodged in his neck to prevent him from muttering anything but incoherent groans of protest as blood poured from his mouth. _

_She was crying hard now as it seemed Tyler, her last vestige of hope, would succumb to the hunter . _

_When the hunter stepped over her for Tyler, she screamed hard in protest against the makeshift gag in her mouth. _

_Tyler fell eerily quiet as the hunter kicked him onto his back, as though he had resigned himself to defeat. _

_His eyes fell on her and they seemed to evoke an apologetic sadness. _

_She gasped and sobbed hopelessly when the blade of the machete dug violently into Tyler's chest. _

_Tyler was choking on his own blood now as tears streamed down his face. _

_The hunter straddled Tyler's chest, still holding the machete inside of him. _

_He used the machete to pry open Tyler's chest and she winced and clenched her eyes shut as the hunter buried his bare hand inside the wound. _

_Despite her efforts to block the sight out, she could still hear the horrifying sounds of Tyler's heart being ripped from his chest and then discarded like a piece of garbage. _

_She was able to roll on her side, away from the sight, where she promptly spilled her stomach of its contents and began to choke on her own vomit due to the gag. _

_How had she gone from a romantic dance with Klaus in the dining room to a bloody massacre in the span of a few hours? She cursed herself for following Dean so blindly. Even Elijah had been suspicious. _

_She fell onto her back as the hunter nudged her bare arm roughly with his boot. _

_Still choking, she could barely mutter a verbal plea to him to spare her. _

_The hunter, or Connor Jordan as he had been named, was staring down at her with a victorious grin. _

_She noticed he no longer had the machete in hand. _

_Staring past him, she looked up at the terrace balcony hoping to see Klaus there. She knew better than to think that. She could hear the bass from the music all the way out here. There was no way he would hear her pathetic whimpers for help. _

"And here's my lovely vampire bait," he commented to her, "Klaus Mikaelson's fatal weakness."

"We should get out of here," she heard Hayley urge. "Prom is almost over."

_He nodded in Hayley's direction before kneeling down and bringing her into a sitting position. _

_She was shaking, choking, and thrashing her legs about to make a last ditch effort to fight back despite the excruciating pain. _

"Don't be scared," he chuckled as he pulled a needle from his pocket and stabbed her arm with it.

_It stung instantly and she concluded it was probably more vervain; perhaps wolf venom. _

_Still struggling, she achieved a small victory when her forceful coughing had ejected the makeshift gag from her mouth. _

_She was gasping for breath, barely able to mutter a hoarse scream as he wrapped his hands tightly around her neck. _

_Her fangs dropped, but she knew it was too late. _

"This won't hurt," was the last thing she heard him say before everything went black.

* * *

_He weaved his way through the groups of obnoxious teenagers spilling out into the foyer as prom came to a close. _

_There were still a few headache inducing songs left to be played, however. It was not quite midnight. _

_After his moment with Caroline in the dining room, he had retreated to the parlour by himself to indulge in the well-stocked liquor cabinet there. _

_But even there he could not escape the music, and it seemed like the alcohol was only making the noise sound worse. _

_So, he decided to retire to his bedroom early. _

_Caroline was supposed to be there waiting for him at midnight, but he decided a small change of plans wouldn't hurt. He would wait for her instead. _

_It could be more fun this way, he smirked to himself. _

_She would come here believing he had yet to arrive and he'd surprise her, much like he had earlier. _

_When she moved to wait for him in his sitting room, he would sneak up behind her and grab her shoulders. He knew she'd be angry at first, but he also knew she wouldn't be able to resist for very long the feeling of his fingertips on her shoulder blades and his lips on her neck. _

_He would let her keep the dress on for a while longer while he teased her, he decided. He could tell she was enamoured with the item of clothing. Truth be told, he quite enjoyed the sight of her in it as well. It accentuated her flawless beauty. _

_Even in his room, he could still hear the heavy bass pounding downstairs. He poured himself another drink from his own supply and quickly dulled the noise downstairs with his own superior musical taste. _

_He removed his jacket and draped it over the chaise before relaxing on it himself. _

_As he waited for the clock to strike twelve, he admired the finished painting of Caroline still resting on the easel before glancing over at Caroline's massive leather suitcase at the foot of the bed. _

_He chuckled to himself. The bag looked like it was ready to burst. It probably exceeded some sort of weight limit. He assumed they would have to compel it through customs. They were only going for a few days, he recalled reminding her earlier. Besides, he was certain her packed clothes would be a distant memory when she indulged in New York City shopping. _

_Smirking at the prospect of Caroline's awestruck face as they walked the streets of New York, he had to wonder if this was really happening to him - if this was really happening to them. _

_He had come to Mystic Falls with the intent of securing the doppelganger to break the curse and sire an army of hybrids. Caroline was never part of the plan; at least not in the way she was now. In fact, if his original plan had succeeded, she'd be dead. He would have sacrificed her without a second thought. _

_However, a simple twist of fate had seen to it that he didn't. Perhaps it was fate or something else entirely, he couldn't be sure. She had been an unexpected surprise. She had come into his life like a blinding streak of light, one that changed how he saw things altogether. He had come to Mystic Falls for one thing and he would be leaving with another; something better._

_It was difficult for him to put into words exactly what that 'something better' was, but he felt it every time he was with her and even when he wasn't. At some point he had stopped being able to imagine his life apart from her, and at first it had infuriated him. He soon realized he couldn't picture it because he didn't want to. He didn't want to be apart from her. He had come to accept that he wanted her with him, and luckily for him__,__ she had decided she wanted him with her around the same time. _

_If he was being completely honest, the idea of leaving with Caroline both excited him and terrified him. He had defeated many a foe in his day, and yet here he was worried about a relationship. It was a common source of anxiety though he was sure; why else would there be thousands of articles and books devoted to the topic? His concern was not abnormal. A conventional relationship was not something he had ever dabbled in. He detested feeling vulnerable and incapable of something. He didn't want to fail her. He couldn't disappoint her. _

_At the same time, he couldn't help but be disgustingly optimistic - yet another quality of hers that was slowly rubbing off on him. He wanted nothing more than to experience the world together with her; through her fresh eyes. He could hardly anticipate any future bumps in their relationship when he pictured her smiling brightly at him from atop the Eiffel Tower or the Himalayas. _

_Things always had a way of working themselves out he supposed. _

_He finished the rest of his drink before he checked his cell phone for any word from Caroline. It was exactly midnight. _

_Rebekah had likely held her up, he assumed. _

_Sighing in annoyance, he decided to pour himself another drink and ready one for Caroline. _

_As if slated to coincide, just as he heard a knock at his door his phone began to complain. _

_He checked his phone first as it was closest. It was a message from Caroline requesting that he meet her on the terrace out back. He smiled at the message. While he wasn't keen on a game of hide and seek, he would humour her. _

_When he opened the door, he found a displeased Rebekah on the other side. _

"Tell Caroline that your sex games are on hold until she comes out here and helps me oversee some clean-up," Rebekah demanded.

_Initially her assumptions about where Caroline would be and their behaviour together amused him, until he reminded himself that his sister was wrong on both counts. _

"She's not here. I just received a text message to meet her on the terrace," he informed her.

_Rebekah's eyebrows furrowed. _

"You're lying to me," Rebekah hissed as she pushed past him into the empty bedroom. "Stefan told me you had Dean come and snatch Caroline from the prom early."

_His face went ghost white instantly as his entire body went rigid. _

_He grabbed Rebekah forcefully by the arm. _

"What did you say?" he asked.

_She gave a confused scoff and tried to pull away. _

"Don't play stupid, Nik. You had Dean retrieve Caroline from the prom. She's probably hiding in the bathroom," Rebekah groaned.

_Panic flooded his mind. _

"I never instructed Dean to anything of the sort," he denied. "Caroline was to meet me here at midnight," he stated.

"Where is she then?" Rebekah wondered as she put the pieces together.

_Rebekah's face went as white as his as she realized that something was wasn't right. _

_Recalling the text message sent to him from Caroline, he sped by Rebekah and bolted frantically down the stairs; Stefan, Matt, Bonnie, and Jeremy were standing at the bottom, likely waiting for Rebekah. _

"Klaus wh..."

_He ignored Stefan's question, before his eyes fell on Caroline's mom who was talking with Damon and Elena. _

_Before he could look away, she had noticed him and his alarmed expression. _

_He pushed past the groups of teenage guests who were making their way to the front entrance now that the night was over. _

_With his phone still in hand, he called Caroline as he stormed to the back of the house. _

_Her phone had already rung twice once he stepped out onto the terrace. _

_As his gut had anticipated, Caroline was not there waiting for him like her text had said. _

_Instead, a sick feeling rushed through him as he heard her familiar upbeat ringtone sound from below on the patio. _

_He rushed to the railing and looked over. _

_Through the darkness down below he could see the faint glow of Caroline's cell phone and two male bodies. _

_He dashed for the stairs and descended them as quickly as he could. _

_When he reached the bottom his jaw went slack and his eyes widened at the sight before him. _

_On the ground lied two hybrids. _

_Dean's head had been severed and was laying a metre away from the rest of his body. Tyler Lockwood was clearly dead despite his eyes being open. There was a hole in his chest and as he stepped closer, he quickly noticed the missing heart on the stone patio beside his deceased body. Both bodies had also been inflicted with wooden bullets. _

_There was blood everywhere and though he wanted to deny it, he could smell Caroline's blood as well. _

_He wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt as his mind searched for an explanation. _

_The noise of her phone still ringing snapped him back to reality._

_The screen was cracked and speckled with a bit of blood, but it still worked. _

_She had obviously been here. Her phone was here; her blood was here. _

_He tried not to let his rage and devastation overcome him. Her body had been taken for a reason. She had to be alive. _

_Trying to think rationally, he opted to inspect the details of her phone first. Whoever took her wanted him to find these bodies. They wouldn't have texted him from her phone if they didn't. _

_He felt his throat swell with painful emotion when he opened her phone and was confronted by a photo of them together as her background. It was a picture Rebekah had taken of them at his birthday. They both looked semi-intoxicated. Both of them weren't even looking at the lens. He was looking at her and she was staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't seen the picture until now. _

_Wincing at the sight of the happy moment, he forced himself to move past it and search through her message and call history. _

_There were no suspicious outgoing or incoming messages save for the one that was sent to him. However, an outgoing call made around the time he received the text caught his attention and he called it immediately. _

_It rung a few times before the click of someone answering sounded. _

"What now? I told you not to call again unless it was important. Did something happen with the girl...er the vampire, I thought you said you got her?!" the familiar male voice demanded. "Don't call me again until Klaus Mikaelson is dead."

_He said nothing in response, preferring to keep his own identity secret for the moment. _

"Hello!?" the voice on the other end said before he ended the call.

_The voice was so eerily familiar to him and he struggled to place it. _

_He heard the terrace doors open while he clicked his tongue urgently as he scrambled to place the voice. _

_It hit him just as Caroline's mom appeared with Stefan and Rebekah at the bottom of the stairs. _

_Shock spread across each of their faces as they stepped towards him and noticed the bodies on the ground. _

"What did you do?" Caroline's mom asked him shakily as she realized Tyler was one of the bodies. "What did you do!?" she demanded as she lunged at him. "Where's Caroline?" she said, beginning to sob.

_He seethed at her insinuation as she tugged viciously at his shirt collar. _

"I didn't do anything!" he corrected her bitterly as he removed her hands from his shirt. "It's the hunter. He has Caroline."

* * *

_Her eyelids fought to open as she regained consciousness. Blood was rushing to her head and she tried to move her neck but it was still sore from being snapped. _

_She could feel her body being jerked from side to side, as if she was riding over rough terrain. She was still groggy from the incident and she was sure whatever poison was in her system wasn't helping matters. _

_Her hands were still tied behind her back with the vervain ropes and at some point her shoes had been discarded; she could feel the night air whispering against them. _

_As her blurry eyesight returned, she could see the ground a few feet below her. It was still dark. She could smell trees and wildlife. _

_It quickly became apparent to her that she was being carried. She could feel an arm wrapped around the backs of her legs, holding her in place. Her body was draped over someone's shoulder. That explained her heavy head and her prime view of the ground. _

_She remained as still as she could. It was better if whoever was carrying her believed she was still sedated. _

"You should have just parked at the Lockwood property line. Now we have to backtrack," she heard Hayley's loud voice complain.

_At first she thought it was the hunter carrying her, but the close proximity of Hayley's voice indicated that it was her instead. She should have known, the arm holding her and the legs moving her were too slender to belong to the hunter. A generous scent of perfume, not belonging to her, was also in the air. _

_She struggled to find an explanation for Hayley's abnormal strength - she was carrying her weight plus more if you included her prom dress. She thought back to everything she knew about Hayley, but it wasn't much. Tyler had mentioned that she had helped him break the sire bond when he was in the Appalachians; a wolf pack there had helped him. Hayley had also mentioned the wolf Klaus had killed to save her; Jason. Hayley had to be a wolf - she certainly wasn't one of Klaus's sired hybrids. _

_Confusion hit her as she tried to put all the pieces together. Why would Hayley betray Tyler? How did Dean fit into all of this? It was obvious the hunter and Hayley were working together. How did they know one another?_

"Is the girl too heavy for you?" the hunter's familiar voice called out in front.

"No, but the sooner she's completely restrained, the sooner I'll have peace of mind," Hayley hissed. "How long does it take a vampire to recover from a snapped neck?" Hayley wondered.

"The vervain and wolf venom should have slowed the process," she heard the hunter explain.

_She clenched her eyes shut and let a quiet sigh escape her lips. With the wolf venom in her system confirmed, she was on borrowed time now. If Klaus didn't find her soon, she would die. _

_And that's exactly what they were banking on, she concluded. According to the hunter she was Klaus's fatal weakness. They knew Klaus would come looking for her, and they knew he would find her. They wanted him to. It was a trap and she would be the bait that would lure Klaus right into it. _

_She panicked silently as she tried to figure out what to do. She had to act fast while she still had the strength to. If she was going to try and escape, now would be the time. They were vulnerable out in the open like this and without her restrained - especially Hayley. If she could escape now, they would lose their leverage. _

_Being that their walk was already a rough one, Hayley failed to notice the small way her body shifted a little towards the edge of her shoulder every time they stepped over the uneven surfaces. _

_By the time Hayley noticed her weight faltering from her shoulder and tried to rebalance her, it was too late. _

_She fell from Hayley and landed hard on her back against dirt and tree roots, still managing to feign unconsciousness. _

"I thought you wolves had superhuman strength. Surely she doesn't weigh that much," the hunter said to Hayley.

_He was far ahead enough in the distance that her escape plan might work. _

_Hayley cursed him before moving closer. _

_She concentrated on the sound. Her eyes were closed, she could see nothing. _

_Hayley was kneeling over her now and she could hear her reach towards her to pick her back up. _

_When Hayley propped her body up against her and prepared to lift her back over her shoulders is when she made her move. _

_Her fangs dropped within her closed mouth and she used the scent of blood pumping through the arteries in Hayley's neck, rather than her sight, to guide her. _

_Before Hayley could push her back over her shoulders she plunged her fangs into her neck. _

_Hayley let out a piercing scream as they both fell to the ground. _

_She landed on top of Hayley._

"You bitch!" Hayley scowled in shock as she haphazardly tried to grab for her.

_Fighting vertigo, she forced herself to stand up on her feet. _

_She managed to escape Hayley's grasp by slamming her foot down on Hayley's leg with what vampire strength she could muster. _

_Looking down at Hayley for a split second, she had this innate urge within her to finish the job, but she couldn't. She didn't have time. She had to run. _

_She looked back to gauge the distance of the hunter. He had since dropped the duffel bags he had been carrying and was in pursuit of her. _

_Trying to run at vampire speed proved to be difficult. Her dress was wearing her down, her bare feet hurt, and the vervain and wolf venom were taking their toll. The fact that her hands were tied behind her back was the icing on the cake. _

_She knew she was on the Lockwood property, but she had no idea where exactly. She could see no clearing or light. She was directionless. _

_It hadn't even dawned on her until now that she had been screaming breathlessly since she had managed to break free from Hayley. _

_Would anyone even hear her? Would Klaus hear her? _

_Sweat was pooling on her forehead and her hair was coming loose as she continued to run. _

_She wasn't that surprised when she finally lost her balance and tripped over her dress. Nor was she surprised when she was hit in the back by what felt like a wooden stake. _

_The force of the stake knocked her completely flat against the ground. _

_She was a mess. Dirt covered both her skin and her dress while Hayley's dried blood caked her face. _

_Sobbing now, she moved her body tirelessly in an effort to stand back up. _

_It was too late. _

_She could hear the hunter behind her. _

"You do have a little fight in you," he mused.

_He pressed his shoe against her back to keep her in place as he broke the stake off, effectively leaving half of it lodged in her back. _

_At this point she was too worn down and hysterical to beg him to stop. She knew it was pointless anyways. _

_He pulled her back up by her tied wrists and pushed her in front of him. _

"I don't have to snap your neck again to get you to cooperate do I?" he muttered from behind her.

_She shook her head hopelessly as he guided her back to where she had started running from. _

"Don't get any ideas either. Unlike Hayley, my body is laced with vervain," he warned.

_When they reached the original spot, Hayley was sitting up now, holding the collar of her jacket against her neck to try and ease the bleeding. _

"She broke my leg too," Hayley groaned to the hunter. "You're going to pay for this," she muttered as she attempted to stand up without success.

_Hayley buckled over and the sight provided her with at least some satisfaction. _

_The hunter dragged her over to where he had dropped his supplies, but Hayley continued to talk. _

"Better yet, Klaus is going to pay. He's going to watch you die. Just like I had to watch him kill my brother," Hayley scowled.

_She winced at the thought. _

_Hayley's brother must be Jason. _

"You betrayed Tyler and Dean," she muttered, practically incoherently.

_Hayley scoffed. _

"They sold you out anyways. They wanted to use you as leverage to get Klaus to release the other hybrids from the sire bond, what do you care about them? Tyler and Dean were a means to an end," Hayley informed her.

"What end?" she asked.

_The hunter laughed as he picked up one of the duffel bags. _

"The destruction of all vampires - including hybrids," he answered.

_She shut her eyes as more tears began to escape at the prospect of basically everyone she knew and loved dying tonight. _

_He pushed her to keep walking ahead, despite Hayley still incapacitated on the ground. _

"Connor, where are you going? Give me some of her blood so I can heal!" Hayley protested.

"There's no time," he stated coldly. "We need to get to the Lockwood cellar," he said from over his shoulder as they moved further away.

"You can't just leave me here! He'll find me like this!" Hayley screamed.

_Connor - or the hunter as she preferred to call him - shrugged indifferently. _

"It will buy me some more time then," he said ruthlessly.

_Her eyes widened as she continued to walk. She felt no sympathy for Hayley after what she had done, but that didn't make the hunter's indifference to her plight any less surprising. _

_They walked for a few more minutes and Hayley's moans of rage and fear began to dissipate. _

"You betrayed her," she croaked.

_The hunter responded by twisting the stake in her back. _

"She was a means to an end," he said plainly as she cried out in pain.

* * *

_He paced the patio in contemplation beside the two dead hybrids as Caroline's mom loomed over Tyler's in particular. _

_By now, Damon, Elena, Matt, Jeremy, Kol, and Bonnie had joined the rest of them. _

_Immediate tears were shed at the sight of Tyler Lockwood. _

"How do you know it was the hunter?" Stefan asked him carefully.

_He handed Stefan Caroline's phone. _

"A call was placed from Caroline's phone to Pastor Young. I called the number. He seemed to know all about the plan," he hissed as he ran his hands over his face to hide the emotion that was beginning to boil to the surface. "The Council recruited the hunter in the first place," he said kneeling down in between the two hybrid bodies.

_He dipped his fingers in the deep red liquid pooled in the grout of the stone._

"Why would the hunter leave them here, but take Caroline?" her mom stuttered.

_Her question hit him hard. He felt guilt. He felt sick to his stomach. _

"Because of me," he answered. "She's bait. He knows I'll come for her. He wants me dead, and by extension the lot of you," he revealed, eyeing those that were tied to his bloodline.

_He pressed his bloodied fingertips to his lips. _

"It's Caroline's blood," he confirmed.

_Caroline's mom immediately erupted into more tears and he gave her a solemn apologetic look before turning away. _

_He couldn't focus on her sadness. He needed to focus on the task at hand. _

_Looking out into the night, he tried to position the trail of her scent. _

"We need to find her, Nik," Rebekah said surprisingly distraught over the abduction of Caroline.

_He glared at Rebekah with displaced anger. _

"I know that, Rebekah," he spat. "I'm trying to track her scent, but it only goes so far," he muttered, staring back into the darkness of the yard as he tried to concentrate on the scents in the night breeze.

"Let me help," Bonnie offered as she stepped forward. "I can use blood to do a locator spell," she explained.

_He didn't accept or reject the witch's offer. _

_She took it as a tacit yes and she approached him. _

_Taking his hand, she painted her palm with his bloody fingertips._

"I need your blood too," she requested.

_He eyed her reluctantly. _

"Your connection to one another is what fuels the spell," Bonnie explained.

_He needed no further justification. They were wasting time. He just wanted the spell to work. It had to work. _

_Biting into his hand with his fangs, a few drops managed to spill into Bonnie's palm before his self-inflicted wound healed. _

_Bonnie clenched her fist shut, effectively mixing his blood with Caroline's. She closed her eyes and began a witchy chant. _

_He noticed her eyelids begin to flutter and her body shake slightly as the spell progressed. _

_Moments later Bonnie's eyes shot open and she was staring at him with an intrigued expression. It unnerved him. _

"What did you see?!" he demanded impatiently. "Where is she?"

_She smiled softly and reassuringly at him making him feel even more uncomfortable. _

_He had a strange feeling that whatever spell she had done had allowed her to see more than just Caroline's location. _

"The hunter is taking her to the Lockwood cellar," she informed him.

* * *

_By the time they reached the Lockwood cellar she could barely walk on her own anymore. The vervain and wolf's venom were proving to be a powerful combination; one that she could no longer fight against. _

_She was practically pushed down the stairs into the dungeon like basement by the hunter who was grasping her hands tightly from behind her. _

_Unable to continue on, she collapsed, tripping over the last stair and onto the cold ground. Her dress, which was now a dirty brown colour at the front, ripped angrily in protest. _

_Her vision was blurry and her body felt like it weighed twice the size as the beginnings of fever began to overtake her. _

"Please," she croaked meekly as she heard the hunter drop his supplies behind her. "You don't have to do this."

_She felt stupid for even trying. _

_Words weren't going to convince him and she had nothing to bargain with. _

"Killing vampires is what I do," the hunter said laughingly. "Of course I have to."

_He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder much like Hayley had as he took her deeper into the cellar. _

_It was obvious this was where they had planned to bring her all along. _

_New chains and metal shackles had been installed to replace the ones Tyler once used during his transitions, weapons especially made for killing vampires were already waiting, and there was a healthy stock of vervain in the corner. He was obviously anticipating Klaus's strength. _

_It had to be past midnight now, she thought. Klaus was supposed to meet her in his room. He would be there waiting wondering where she was. He would probably try calling her before giving up and searching the house for her. He would probably assume that Rebekah had held her up. How long would it take for him to realize something was wrong? Would he discover Tyler and Dean? Would he find her here? _

_As much as she wanted that to happen, she was terrified. Despite Klaus's profession of immortality, it wasn't entirely true. Enough vervain and wooden bullets could weaken him. The hunter could then sever his head or extract his heart and it would be over. She would lead him to his death. She would be the death of him. _

_Hot tears spilled down her dirty cheeks at the thought as the hunter stood her up and fixed her wrists to the thick metal shackles - they had obviously been sized for her. _

_She was forced to stand by the height of the restraints. Barely able to hold her own weight, she fell forwards slightly, depending on the strength of the chains and shackles to keep her upright. At this point, she was numb to the feeling of the jagged metal cuffs digging into her wrists. _

_Using that to her advantage, she tried to muster what strength she had left to break free as the hunter prepared his weapons, but it was of no use._

_They wouldn't break, and even if they did, where would she go from there? The hunter would just use the gun he was currently loading with wooden bullets on her until she was subdued. _

_All that was left to do was wait for him._

* * *

_He looked against the darkness in the direction of the Lockwood property determinedly. _

"Klaus, you said it yourself, this is a trap. He wants you dead; he wants us dead. You can't just walk into this blindly," Stefan said rationally.

_He turned on his heel and glared at Stefan. _

"What else am I supposed to do!?" he shouted, prompting everyone else to flinch. "He has her, and there will be no getting her back unless I play his game," he hissed in frustration. "I have to do this."

_Caroline's mother stepped forward. _

"I'm going with you," she stated.

"Us too," Rebekah said, nudging Kol_. _

_He promptly shook his head. _

"No," he refused. "It's not safe, particularly for you," he said, looking to Liz before eyeing Rebekah and Kol. "And it would be extremely stupid of us to bring the hunter three of the four remaining originals. We might as well wrap ourselves in a box with a bow," he scowled.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Kol asked.

"Find Elijah, and then with the help of Sheriff Forbes, I want you to round up my hybrids and Council members," he instructed.

_A devilish smile crossed Kol's lips. _

"Do with them as you wish, but do not kill them. When I get back I'd like to have a little chit chat with them first," he informed them.

"We can't just..." Liz began to protest.

_He grabbed her by the shoulders. _

"The Council is the reason your daughter is in this mess," he tried to say sternly without raising his voice. "They want her dead; they want all of us dead. They deserve no more of your mercy. Now you can help my siblings or not, but they will track them down with or without your assistance," he explained.

_Liz nodded. _

"We'll go with you," Elena said, stepping forward as she looked between Stefan and Damon.

_She was holding Caroline's corsage in her hands. He had obviously missed that piece of evidence in the haze of his panic. _

_Damon's face scrunched up in defiance. _

"We will?" he asked incredulously.

_Elena shrugged. _

"If Klaus dies, then we all die. We need him to survive," she reasoned before a solemn look crossed her features. "We need the hunter for the cure. And we need Caroline to survive. She's our friend. She would do this for us."

"I'll go in your place, Elena," Stefan said.

_Elena protested. _

"You're in a gown and heels. We can't waste anymore time. Go change and help Rebekah and Kol," Stefan told her.

_In response, Elena kicked off her shoes and ripped at her dress at the knees, effectively turning it into more of a skirt than a dress. _

_She raised her eyebrows expectantly at Stefan who gave her a reluctant nod of approval. _

"I'll go too," Damon relented with a groan.

"I should go too. I could get the hunter to back down," Jeremy said, garnering stern looks from Bonnie, Elena, and the Salvatores.

_Kol snorted under his breath. _

"Not this time mate," he spoke for everyone. "We need to go now," he said to the Salvatores and Elena.

_They stepped forward in response. _

_Liz looked at him worriedly as he walked past her. _

"I'll make sure she's safe," he assured her.

* * *

_As they moved through the woods towards the Lockwood cellar, Caroline's scent grew stronger. _

_He could practically smell her fear at this point and it was driving him mad. _

_They had already run into a few close calls; he had encountered both of her heeled shoes not far from one another and Elena had come across the flower Caroline had wore in her hair. _

_Her blood was thick in the air, but he could also smell blood belonging to someone else. _

"I can smell Caroline's blood, but I can smell a human too," Elena said, a few metres behind him.

"A werewolf," he corrected, as he stumbled upon the familiar looking girl, already half-dead from blood loss and immobile from a broken leg.

_He could smell Caroline's scent on her clothes and he couldn't help but notice the relatively fresh vampire bite on her neck. He could tell from the small size of the bite that it was Caroline's work. She had clearly fought the wolf-girl off. It restored what little hope he had. _

"Hayley isn't it?" he asked, looking down at the brunette with disdain.

_He could feel both Salvatores and Elena watching the exchange from a distance. _

_She gave him no reply. _

_It's not like he needed one. He knew who she was. He and Caroline had run into her and Tyler outside the Grill. Initially, she had roused his suspicions, but naively, he had let them go when other matters became more pressing. He had made a mistake. _

"You would do well to be afraid of me," he hissed as he picked her up in one swift motion, firmly planting her on her broken leg before giving her a broken arm to match.

_She screamed in agony, but still spat in his face defiantly before he tossed her to the ground a few feet in front of him. _

"Now," he started as he moved towards her. "I suspect you had something to do with Tyler's unsiring and the subsequent unsiring of Dean, and who knows who else," he mused. "As I'm sure you already know, the two of them are currently lying dead on my back patio."

_She made a futile attempt to back up as he drew closer. _

"I'm sure you're also aware that the vampire hunter, Connor Jordan, had something to do with that. Moreover, since your body was not there along with your 'friends,' I think it's only correct to assume that you're quite the two-faced little wolf," he said.

_Her expression was slowly turning to one of submissive fear and he smirked at how easy it was to break her. _

"Please," she cried under her breath. "Don't kill me."

_He looked back over his shoulder amusedly at Elena and the Salvatores. _

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know. I'll help you. You're looking for Caroline, right?" the frail wolf-girl stammered desperately.

_Kneeling down, he picked up a wooden stake, belonging to the hunter, lying waywardly on the ground. _

_He juggled it in his hands in front of her. _

"I would like for you to explain to me exactly what your purpose is, or was," he said simply, pointing the stake in her direction.

"Connor and I work together," she rasped.

_He raised his eyebrows. _

"That business relationship is certainly in questionable standing," he smirked.

_She conceded his point with a nod. _

"Worked together," she corrected, "My pack and I tracked vampires for him and he killed them for us," she shrugged. "I met Tyler and stupidly..."

"...you fell in love with him," he finished for her, practically tasting the bitter resentment on her lips.

"I helped him break the sire bond, hoping we could somehow hide the fact that he was a hybrid...but it didn't matter because he was in love with Caroline Forbes," she seethed through bated breath. "So when Connor came to me and told me about his little mission in Mystic Falls..."

"...you decided to help his cause," he concluded. "I forgot what a grudge-bearing species wolves could be," he mused.

_She scoffed and began to cough laboriously. _

"I made the mistake of putting my emotions ahead of logic. Tyler hurt me, but he had to die because he was a hybrid," she said spitefully, "part vampire."

_He gritted his teeth at her comment and wrapped a hand around her neck, dropping the stake to the ground. _

_She was gasping intently for air but she still managed to mock him with a laugh. _

"Go ahead and kill me," she urged. "Soon all of you will be dead too - including Caroline - and you'll have gotten what you deserved for killing my brother."

_So, that was the wolf that attacked Caroline in the woods. _

"You're a pathetic excuse for a wolf," he growled as he clenched her neck tighter. "Where's your sense of loyalty? Hmm?" he demanded lowly.

_Her mouth opened to respond but he didn't give her a chance. _

_Instead, he dug his fingers into her chest and clenched his fist around the warm vital organ. _

_He watched her eyes as they widened with shock before he tore her heart from her chest with ease. _

_Blood poured out from the gaping wound. _

_His hand was coated red with her impure essence. _

_He tossed the heart aside, leaving it, along with her body, for some starving animal to enjoy. _

_After cleaning his hand off with the edge of her jacket, he stood up and refocused his attention back onto the task at hand. There was no time to revel in the first kill of the night._

* * *

_He stopped a few metres shy of the Lockwood cellar. _

"So this is going to be like one big trap," Stefan foreshadowed.

"What should we do?" Elena wondered the obvious.

_Damon snorted. _

"Haven't you ever played Super Mario before, Elena? You need as many lives as you can get to make it to the end, i.e. me, you, and Stefan. Then, you need to make sure you've saved your Super Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Starman, i.e. Klaus, to beat the game," Damon explained humorously.

_Both Stefan and Elena rolled their eyes. _

"Sounds about right," he confirmed.

_Damon shot them a boastful smirk. _

"What should we do? Just rush the hunter so Klaus can get to Caroline?" Elena asked.

"That's exactly what we do. We need to be the distraction," Stefan said.

_Elena turned for the cellar, but Damon extended his arm to prevent her from moving. _

"Chivalry doesn't apply here," Damon stated, "Stefan and I go first."

_Stefan nodded. _

_A look of protest crossed Elena's face, but she relented and let them step ahead. _

"Wish us luck, hybrid Ken," Damon joked.

_He nodded to the both of them, hoping this plan would work. _

_Standing beside Elena, they both watched as Damon and Stefan headed towards the cellar. _

"You love her, don't you?" Elena asked him bluntly.

_He kept his eyes trained on Stefan and Damon for a moment, before he broke eye contact and shook his head to affirm Elena's suspicion. _

_There was no point in shying away from it now. He supposed he owed her honesty if she was going to risk her life to help him. _

"She loves you too," Elena told him, as though she was trying to reassure him.

"You don't have to do this," he stated plainly as Stefan and Damon disappeared into the cellar.

_Elena shrugged beside him. _

"Yeah, I do, and not just for my own selfish reasons," she said. "I owe it to Caroline," she paused, "and I owe it to you."

_He glanced at her quickly to confirm her sincerity. _

_Her eyes seemed genuine. _

_She put her hand on his upper arm as she prepared herself to follow Damon and Stefan. _

"Caroline will be fine," she said.

_Before he could respond, Damon's voice could be heard groaning in what could only be described as sheer agony as gun shots were fired. _

_He made a feeble effort to stop Elena, but she already blew by him at vampire speed at the noise. _

_This was it, he decided. _

_He bolted after Elena into the cellar. _

_When he entered, he was horrified to see Caroline literally dangling by a thread; the only thing keeping her upright were the chains and shackles that were cutting into her wrists. _

_Damon was seemingly paralyzed on the ground on the wall of the cellar beside Caroline; his body was littered with dozens of bullets. _

"Get Caroline!" Elena called to him as she and Stefan tried to physically outmanoeuvre the hunter.

_His rational instinct was to help them, but he went for Caroline like Elena instructed. _

_He broke the chains that were holding her in place. _

_She was barely conscious when she collapsed into his arms. _

"Klaus," she rasped quietly as he lowered her to the ground.

_Without a second thought he sliced into his wrist and forced his blood into her system before he tore the broken stake from her back. _

_The tell tale signs of both infection from vervain and wolf's venom were riddled all over her frail body. _

"You're gonna be okay sweetheart," he whispered to her as his eyes scanned over her blood and dirt stained prom dress.

_He winced guiltily at the sight. _

_When he heard the hunter's gun go off again behind him he almost relaxed, confident that Stefan and Elena had managed to outsmart him. _

_His confidence fell flat when he turned just in time to see the hunter snap Stefan's neck and Elena's body on the ground in a similar state as Damon's. _

_He rested Caroline on the ground as she began revive and stood to face the hunter. _

_Ready to attack, he froze when the hunter picked up a ranged weapon with a threatening projectile on the end of it. _

_He held up his hands, realizing he was no match for this new weapon and the smaller gun the hunter still held in the other hand. _

"Come on mate," he said, trying to remain casual as he stood in front of Caroline. "Surely we can talk this out like civilized men."

_The hunter smirked at him dismissively. _

"Yeah, 'cause I'm sure that's exactly what you came here to do," the hunter replied sarcastically.

_He looked down at Caroline who was going stronger by the second as she regained complete consciousness. _

"All I came here to do was get my girl. Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement," he suggested, clinging to the hope that the hunter would be temporarily swayed by the promise of a bribe.

_When the hunter's expression turned to yet a deeper level of anger, he knew that the chances were slim. _

"I don't think you understand," the hunter spat, "killing vampires is what I do."

"Elena!" Jeremy's voice called from the entrance.

_After that everything seemed to operate like a slow motion sequence of events that he was powerless to stop. _

_Startled and in a panic, the hunter pulled the trigger on both weapons. He was knocked back as the projectile pierced his chest, and Jeremy was shot as he stepped in to intercept the hunter in order to prevent Bonnie from being hit. _

_He heard feminine cries, ones that sounded like Caroline's, but could have easily belonged to Elena or Bonnie. _

"Bonnie! Don't kill him; the hunter's curse!" he heard Caroline call out.

_When he came to, he saw a panicked Caroline kneeling over top of him. _

_Glancing past her he saw Bonnie sobbing over Jeremy's still body and Elena struggling to fight against the wooden bullets and vampire poison in her system to get to her brother. The hunter was lying unconscious with what he assumed was some spell Bonnie had quickly conjured up. _

_He tried to sit up, but movement was too painful. The projectile the hunter had shot at him was clenched firmly around his heart like a bear trap. A rope was attached. One forceful tug on the rope from a vampire hunter and it would be lights out for him and everyone else descended from him. _

_Caroline ripped the rope gently so that threat was eradicated, but there was still the problem of the claw-like device scratching his insides. _

_Perhaps this was Hayley already haunting him from the dead. _

"This is not how tonight was supposed to end up," he groaned, trying his best to muster a smile.

_Caroline laughed and cried at the same time as she cautiously peeled away his bloody tattered jacket and shirt from his wound. _

_Her laugh was infectious and winced in pain as he tried to stifle his own responsive chuckle. _

_She hushed him and pressed her palm against his cheek. _

"I'm sorry," she apologized, growing emotional again. "I didn't mean to...and Dean he said...and I thought," she stammered.

_Despite the profuse pain, he clasped her wrist against his face, brushing his lips over her healed skin and the bracelet that had somehow remained with her throughout the whole ordeal. _

"Shhh," he said, "You didn't know. It's all right," he assured her.

_She looked over at a sobbing Bonnie and Elena, and an expressionless Damon before returning her gaze to his open wound. _

"It isn't all right," she shook her head, as he noticed the guilt begin to overtake her.

_He could hear Elena begging Bonnie to do something and demanding to know why Jeremy's ring wasn't bringing him back. _

_Tears fell from Caroline's eyes as she overheard the same thing. _

"Caroline, look at me," he instructed.

_She peered down at him. _

"Bonnie and Elena are helping Jeremy. I need you to focus on me. I need you to try and find a way to release this thing, so we can get out of here," he said nodding down to his chest.

_Biting her lip as she appraised his injury, she began to nod apprehensively. _

"I trust you," he reassured her.

_She tried to muster a smile before bringing her hands down to explore the device. _

_He was certain there was a release mechanism; the weapon appeared to be reusable. _

_For Caroline's sake, he tried to stifle the groans of pain he wanted to express as her reluctant fingers began to prod at the wound. _

_After a few suspenseful and painful minutes of Caroline searching for a way to free him, he saw the expression on her face change to one of promise. _

_He clenched his eyes shut and dug his fingers into the ground as Caroline applied, what felt like an excruciating amount pressure on his most vital organ. _

_Then, all of the sudden, he felt instant relief as the device's grip was released. _

_They both sighed at the same time. _

"I'm going to take it out," she warned.

_He braced himself for one final surge of pain as she pulled the small torturous weapon from his chest. _

_Tossing it aside, she managed a small victorious smile. _

"Thank you," he breathed as his body began to repair itself.

_She bit into her wrist and offered it to him as he was finally able to sit up. _

"It will heal you faster," she told him.

_Agreeing, he was careful not to penetrate her skin with his fangs as he sucked the blood from the small self-inflicted bite. _

_And she was right. He could instantly feel her blood spread to every part of his body. _

_He caressed her face and took a second to appreciate the sight of her in front of him, safe. _

_She kissed his lips lightly before her attention was turned to the pain of her friends. _

"Go help your friends, love. I'll be fine. I just need another minute to heal," he told her.

_She gave his healing wound a second look. Reassured, she turned her focus onto her friends. _

_A now conscious Stefan was consoling Elena as he helped her remove wooden bullets from her body. Bonnie attempted to do the same for Damon. _

_He watched as Caroline walked around Jeremy's lifeless body before kneeling down beside him. She picked up the gun the hunter had used on Elena's brother and inspected it carefully. _

_Taking his eyes off her for barely a minute, his stomach turned when Bonnie's voice sounded for Caroline warningly. _

_He sprung up instantly. _

"No!" he shouted.

_The gun in her hand went off and hit the recently awakened hunter as she began to fall backwards. _

_He sped across the cellar to catch her. _

_He gasped as she fell back into his arms and he noticed the white oak stake lodged firmly in her chest; right against her heart. _

_His body went numb as he collapsed onto the ground with her graying body. _

"No," he stammered in a state of pure shock.

_He could hear the others react, he could hear them talk, but he couldn't process them. His mind had blocked them out as he stared down blankly at her lifeless body. _

"No," he repeated. "Caroline," he said, swallowing the hard lump in his throat as he stroked his fingers through her hair and outlined her face.

_Desperate, he pulled the stake from her chest and ripped at the flesh on his hand to offer her his blood. _

_She gave him no response. _

_His lip quivered as his eyes began to glaze over. _

_Minutes ago she practically had her hands around his heart as she worked to save his life. Now, here he was unable to do the same for her as she lied dead in his arms. _

"Caroline," he repeated, as he stroked his thumb over her lips.

_He shook her slightly. _

_Still, nothing. _

_His resolve cracked as the rock in his throat burst and wet drops hit his cheeks. _

_Just like that, she was gone. _

_The entirety of his short time with her seemed to flash before his eyes; from the moment he convinced her of life's opportunities to the final moment he assured her she was safe with him. _

_He winced as the grief and guilt constricted around his heart more painfully than any concrete weapon ever had. _

_It was an unshakable and unbearable pain, something he had only ever come close to experiencing once before, nearly a thousand years ago. _

_The thought of Henrick only exacerbated the devastation he felt. _

_Henrick had been his fault also. _

_He clenched his hands together so hard that he could feel his fingernails draw blood from his palms. _

_She was everything to him. _

_They were supposed to be immortal. He was supposed to have her for eternity. She told him she wanted an eternity. _

_How could it all be so ephemeral? _

_She told him that he would never lose her. He could hear her voice say it as though she was repeating the exact words to him against his ear. _

_He eyed the white oak stake on the ground. _

"Caroline," he spoke one last time.

_As anticipated, she offered him no reply. _

_He steadied his lip by biting it as he placed her on the ground in front of him. _

_Reaching for the stake, he noticed Caroline's bracelet in pieces beside her. _

_He was in pieces. _

_Clenching the stake in his hands, he turned it on himself. _

_He couldn't imagine his life without her. _

_He didn't want to imagine it without her. _

_He wouldn't live without her. _

"Niklaus!" he heard Elijah implore.

_The stake was knocked unapologetically from his hands by a speedy female figure he first concluded was Elena._

_That was until he noticed Elena staring on inconsolably from Damon's arms. _

_Standing in the entrance to the cellar was his brother Elijah and Katerina Petrova. _

_He growled under his breath at her uncanny ability to sabotage his plans. _

_Channeling all his grief in anger towards her, he was ready to tear her head clear from her shoulders when he heard that soft angelic voice whisper his name. _

"Klaus."

* * *

**A/N: So have I confused you and toyed with your emotions enough? Let me know. :) **


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: We've reached the end of the road guys. **

**I sincerely want to thank everyone of you who has taken the time to read, review, favourite, and follow. It means so much. It took me almost a year to finish so I appreciate those of you who stuck with me from the beginning and waited patiently for me to update. I broke 1,200 reviews with this story which is crazy...and I broke 300,000 words making this my most reviewed and longest fan-fiction. **

**The thing I'll miss most is hearing from the regular reviewers every update. Feel free to keep in touch or follow me on tumblr, my name is idiot-wind. **

**If you would like to read more from me, I'll be working on my prologue to Tangled Up In Blue, called Heart-Shaped Glasses (there are two chapters posted already). It's a Klaroline fan-fiction but I'm stepping out of the supernatural world for something different. I understand if AU/AH aren't your thing, but give it a chance! I hope to have an update on that in the next week or so. Livingdeadblondegirl - who writes the amazing Klaroline fan-fiction, "The Only Hope for Me is You" is my lovely beta and she's been helping me come up with great ideas for it. **

**I really hope this concluding chapter is satisfying. I'm so anxious to know what you think. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!**

* * *

_He looked down at Caroline's body and his eyes went wide with surprise. _

_Her eyes were fluttering open, her lips were parted, and colour had begun to return to her skin. The wound from the stake was slowly beginning to heal. _

"Klaus," she whispered again as consciousness began to return to her.

_Gasping, he closed and opened his eyes rapidly to confirm that he wasn't hallucinating. He was certain he saw the hunter stake Caroline in the heart as she shot him with his gun. _

_When he looked back down to see her eyes staring up at him, he scooped her up onto his lap and kissed her forehead. _

"Caroline," he said shakily; another attempt to confirm that this was not false reality.

_As he held her he brushed the hair out of her face and stroked her cheeks. _

"What happened?" she asked, glancing around at everyone else in a disoriented haze.

_Tears of relief were uncontainable as they poured from his eyes. _

"The hunter took you and he brought you here," he explained, unsure of her memory's capacity.

_She nodded. _

"I know...you came here...Damon...Stefan...Elena," she recalled. "Jeremy and Bonnie; Jeremy was killed," she said, as though experiencing the loss again for the first time while she glanced at Elena and Jeremy's body over his shoulder with regret. "You were injured and I helped you...I had the gun...the hunter," her eyes widened as she looked down at her chest. "I shot the hunter but he staked me with the white oak stake," she realized.

"That's right, sweetheart," he affirmed. "The hunter staked you, but you killed him when you shot him," he told her.

_He panicked for a moment as he reminded himself that Caroline had killed the hunter; the hunter's curse. _

_Helping her sit up, he examined her carefully. _

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Do you feel okay? Do you see anything out of the ordinary?" he asked her worriedly.

_She looked around the cellar and shook her head. _

"I see two Elena's," she said, almost laughingly, still in a bit of a daze.

_He glared at Katerina standing in the doorway smugly as Elijah went to inspect the hunter's body. _

"There is only one Elena. Katerina is here," he said anxiously, not wanting to burden her with too many details.

_It's not like he knew any details behind her presence anyways. _

"Katherine?" Caroline asked confused.

_He nodded. _

"What is she doing here?" she asked.

_He shrugged. _

"I would like to know what she's doing here myself," he told her, before glancing back up to his brother and the Petrova that had caused him so much grief.

"The hunter is dead," Elijah confirmed, changing the subject.

"Shouldn't I be hallucinating?" Caroline asked.

_Elijah looked at him questioningly. _

"That should be how it works," he thought.

"Maybe it has something to do with what Jeremy said the other day," Elena spoke up as she wiped some tears from her eyes.

_Jeremy Gilbert's death had nearly slipped his mind with what had just happened to Caroline. Elena was kneeling beside Jeremy's body with both Stefan and Damon at either side of her protectively_.

"He said the hunter wouldn't hurt him because it was a code of honour or something; the hunter would be shamed if he hurt Jeremy," Elena supposed.

_Admittedly what Elena was saying seemed to make sense. _

_Elijah nodded. _

"If you kill a hunter and prevent them from fulfilling their duty, you are haunted by them until another hunter replaces them. Perhaps hunters are affected in the same way; by killing the hunter you set him free from a life of torment and guilt. He no longer had a duty to fulfill because he betrayed that duty when he inadvertently killed Jeremy," Elijah proposed.

_He noticed Elena recoil at Elijah's final statement; that Jeremy was indeed dead. _

"None of this explains why Jeremy's ring didn't work," Damon said bitterly as he looked onto an almost emotionally blank Elena.

"Maybe it has something to do with Jeremy being a potential hunter," Stefan said. "Or maybe the ring only works against certain types of supernatural threats," he suggested.

_Caroline's mind seemed to drift haphazardly as she looked back down at her healing wound and the white oak stake on the ground. _

"The hunter staked me in the heart. How am I alive?" she stammered, overwhelmed by the reality of that fact.

_He shook his head. _

"I don't know, love. You were unconscious; your body decayed. We all thought you were dead," he revealed, choking down some more residual emotion aching to be released.

_A look of concern crossed her features as she seemed to understand why he was so visibly emotive. _

"I'm so sorry," she sighed as she touched his face and brushed her lips against his cheek.

_He caught her hand in his before he guided her face towards him. _

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said, pressing his lips against hers, no longer concerned by the public display of affection.

_He just wanted to kiss her. He wanted to know she was real. _

"I told you that you wouldn't lose me," she winced under her breath with her face still intimately close to his.

"And I didn't," he reminded her. "I just don't know how," he added, still perplexed and amazed by the fact that she was now sitting up in his lap as lively as ever, when minutes ago he had thought all hope to be lost.

_Bonnie stepped beside them, kneeling down. _

"I know how," she said. "I know how Caroline survived the stake."

_They both looked at her curiously as Bonnie leaned over. _

"It's the bracelet," she said as she picked up the interlocking pieces of the dainty piece of jewellery.

_His eyebrows furrowed. _

"What do you mean? How do you know?" he asked.

_She examined the pieces in her hand. _

"I saw it when I did the locator spell," Bonnie revealed. "It's spelled; it's been spelled for hundreds of years. A woman gave it to you before you killed her. She told you to give it to someone you cared deeply for...and you did," Bonnie explained, looking to Caroline with a soft expression. "The bracelet's spell is bound by blood. You've given Caroline your blood on numerous occasions; you preserved her life; and so the spell on the bracelet was activated."

_He knew there was a reason the bracelet had managed to remain in possession for all these years; why that encounter with that princess had remained so vivid till this day. It was almost as if the spell had willed it so; as if fate had known that he would be in this very situation long before even he himself did. The princess's actions still confused him. Why had she let him kill her? Why did she give him the bracelet? _

"Can you determine if the pieces are still spelled?" he asked Bonnie.

_She shrugged. _

"I can try," she offered, placing the pieces in her coat pocket.

"I guess it's a good thing I decided to wear that bracelet tonight," Caroline said, trying to make light of her situation, even though the thought of her deciding not to wear the bracelet tonight made his stomach turn.

_He nodded. _

_Caroline tugged on the edges of his jacket. _

"We should get out of here," she suggested. "Take me home?" she requested before managing to stand on her own successfully.

_He followed suit as she dusted the dirt off the front of her dress. _

_There was nothing more he wanted than to return home with a safe Caroline. _

_She motioned her head discreetly in Elena's direction. _

"Just let me talk to her first," she whispered before turning to console her distraught friend.

_Elijah approached him while Katerina remained fearfully by the exit as though she was plotting her escape in the event she needed to use it. _

"We should talk. There are pressing matters that need to be discussed," Elijah urged him.

_He gave his brother an uneasy look before glancing unfavourably in Katerina__'s direction. _

"Later," he hissed. "I assume the Petrova isn't going anywhere. Caroline wants to leave and Kol and Rebekah should have gathered the Council and what hybrids they could by now," he reasoned.

_Elijah appeared ready to protest, but he brushed by him before he could. _

_Caroline was hugging Elena while the others stared blankly between nothing and Jeremy's lifeless body. _

_He moved to the hunter and leaned over to pick his body up. It would be one of many tonight that would have to be dealt with. _

"Leave it," Elena said sternly.

_He glanced over his shoulder to see Elena's demanding stare. _

"We'll take care of it," she said coldly_. _

_Nodding, he let go of the hunter's arm and dropped him back down to the ground. The hunter was dead, Caroline had seen to that. He didn't need to see him buried. He was certain Elena would want to take special care of that._

* * *

"Nik! Are you down there?" he heard Rebekah call from the entrance down to the cellar.

_Intrigued and annoyed by Rebekah's arrival, he swept by Elijah and Katerina. _

_At the top of the stairs he found Rebekah, now dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a plain white shirt which was stained with blood. All signs of prom were evident in her hair which was still perfectly coiffed. The sight probably would have lent him more amusement under more lighthearted circumstances. _

_Behind her he noticed several Council members, including the high school principal Mr. Nighman and Pastor Young, all bound by rope with their mouths sealed by cloth tied tightly around their faces. They all looked positively terrified. _

"We killed what we could find of your hybrids. They weren't exactly easy to restrain," Rebekah said, explaining why the Council was only present. "Is Caroline okay?" Rebekah asked before giving him a chance to respond.

_He nodded and Rebekah sighed curiously with restrained relief. _

"Jeremy Gilbert is dead. Caroline killed the hunter," he said vaguely, only realizing when he said it that Rebekah wasn't aware of all the details.

"What about the hallucinations?" Rebekah inquired.

"We're not quite sure. It's a long story. Suffice it to say we're fine, along with Elijah and his Petrova doppelganger," he mused.

"He's with Katherine?" Rebekah asked, momentarily surprised. "Kol and I couldn't get a hold of him for the longest time. He was nowhere in the house. Apparently he was banging the Petrova whore during that time," she seethed.

_It unsettled him. However, it was hard not to forget the fact that Katerina had knocked the white oak stake from his hands before he could use it on himself. Surely it was an action of self-preservation, but had she not made that move, he'd be dead and so would everyone else. _

"Where's Kol?" he asked.

_He saw a slight frown come to Rebekah's face. _

"He went back to the house," Rebekah explained.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

_Rebekah's face contorted with depressed emotion and he started to worry. _

"He wanted to deal with Dean and Tyler's bodies," Rebekah pointed out.

_Her face was turned to the ground so he knew she was either lying or spilling half truths. _

_He flashed in front of her__,__ disregarding the startled and frightened expressions of their Council captives. _

"Why did he return home, Rebekah?" he said, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him.

_Wet droplets began to fall from Rebekah's eyes. _

_He heard Caroline emerge from the cellar behind him but he remained focused on his sister. _

"Caroline's mother," Rebekah stammered.

"What about her?" Caroline demanded worriedly.

_He shook his sister for an answer. He didn't like where this was going and he almost hoped Caroline had stayed down in the cellar with Elena. _

_Rebekah sucked on her bottom lip as she tried to contain her emotions. _

"She helped us locate the Council members like you asked us to do," Rebekah started. "She would lure the Council members out of their homes under the guise of an emergency Council meeting and then we'd take them."

"What happened?" he pressed, knowing deep down that he didn't want to hear the answer.

"We were at Pastor Young's...she told us to let her handle him...she brought him outside under the pretense of an emergency. She confronted him instead about everything. They got into a verbal argument. Before Kol or I could intervene, Pastor Young pulled out a gun and before Caroline's mom could react with her own, he shot her...in the side of the head," Rebekah said, breaking down instantly to spill her tears now that she had spilled the story.

_He heard a shocked breath fill Caroline's lungs before she broke down into a similar state as Rebekah. _

"Why didn't you grab him before anything could happen!" he demanded.

_Rebekah winced as she shrugged. _

"She told us she wanted to talk to him first; that she had it under control. Kol and I let our guards down. We thought she could handle it," Rebekah sobbed.

"Well you thought wrong!" he scowled, shaking his sister violently.

_He was amazed at how the night could go from great, to terrible, to good, then worse, then great again, to devastating in a matter of hours. _

_Guilt hit him instantly. He shouldn't have even given Caroline's mother the option of becoming involved. He had forbid her from coming with him, thinking she would be safer helping Rebekah and Kol; apparently not. _

_Unexpectedly Caroline shoved him out of the way, separating the two of them. _

"Stop!" she shouted, her own muffled cries cutting the tension between him and his sister.

_Rebekah stepped back ashamedly. _

"Kol took her back to our house since we couldn't get into Caroline's," Rebekah finished explaining. "I'm so sorry Caroline. We tried everything to bring her back."

_Caroline stood in between them silently now. Her cheeks were tear-stained but she appeared to be in the same emotional state of shock Elena was enduring. _

"Caroline," he said softly, attempting to extend his hand to touch her shoulder.

_She recoiled and pulled away from his touch. _

_Her eyes clenched shut as she covered her mouth with her hand. _

"My mom's dead," she said to herself disbelievingly as she paced slowly in her ruined prom dress and bare feet.

_He noticed Elijah and Katerina emerge from the cellar, along with Elena and Stefan who was carrying Jeremy's body_.

_Caroline released another painful sob, making his whole body clench for her in sympathy. _

"My mom is dead!" she cried as though she was trying to convince herself of the statement's truth.

_A low gasp of surprise echoed through everyone just emerging from the cellar, hearing the news for the first time. _

_He tried again to console her, but she rebuffed his attempt. _

_She paced and cried some more while everyone else stood there helplessly, unsure of what to do or say; the only one who probably understood better than any of them of what Caroline was going through right now was Elena, who was still going through it herself. _

_And then Caroline fell silent. She was staring absently and standing stoically. _

_It wasn't until he realized what - or who - she was staring at that his body froze. _

_Pastor Young was firmly in her line of sight. _

_He could almost feel the heat of her anger scorching his skin as Caroline continued to dissect the man with her eyes. _

_He should have killed the man when he had the chance. Ironically, it was Caroline's mother that had prompted him to back down when he and Elijah originally confronted the Council__._

_Now Caroline was left to experience the heartache of losing her mother. She was forced to have the internal war with herself that he knew she was having. The urge to kill, for a vampire, was always there within them just beneath the surface, but it was highest in the midst of hunger and higher yet still when coupled with the desire for revenge. _

_She was debating whether or not to kill and indulge in her need for vengeance. _

_He sometimes forgot that she was first and foremost, a vampire. _

_Pastor Young would die regardless. It was up to Caroline at whose hands. He wouldn't try and stop her. He wouldn't baby her or try and shelter her from what she was. She was strong enough to handle this without letting it consume her. _

_Rebekah eyed him frantically as Caroline stepped towards the shaking man. _

_He expected her kill to be something ceremoniously slow and drawn out given her barely ripe experience, but was surprised instead when she flashed directly in front of him. _

_She ripped the tie from his mouth and pulled him up by his jacket. _

_He made no effort to struggle or protest. _

_Her eyes were gleaming red and black, the veins protruded from under her rosy cheeks, and her fangs dropped. _

"You're an abomination," the pastor spat.

"And you're a murderer; my mother was human," Caroline retorted.

"She was also a sympathizer. She was collateral damage," he replied plainly. "She was better off dead than having you for a daughter."

_Caroline scowled in anger, swiping the back of her hand hard across his face. _

_He fell to the ground on his side. _

"The only thing my mother was guilty of was loving her daughter," Caroline said enraged. "She was a human and you killed her!" she snapped, pulling him up once more. "What would your god have to say about that?"

_She gave him no time to respond. Instead, she buried her fangs deep into his neck as she clawed through the material of his jacket and drew blood. _

_In shock from the attack, the pastor was barely able to manage a groan to call for help or plead for his life. _

_Throwing him to the ground, she tossed her weight over his dying body and tortured him some more by mauling the flesh of his neck and digging her fingers into his chest._

___To humans, the sight of her slowly ripping his heart out from the inside as she tore ruthlessly at his neck with her fangs would have been a horrific image. As a hybrid, it was a fulfilling and strangely erotic sight to behold. As her lover, however, his body ached in physical pain at the sight of her emotional torment - that he was powerless to abate - being unleashed upon her deserving victim._

_Despite the fact that the pastor was clearly dead, she continued to mutilate his body. _

"Niklaus," Elijah said, urging him to do something.

_Rebekah's expression mirrored Elijah's insistence. _

_He moved quietly behind Caroline. _

"Sweetheart, he's dead," he informed her.

_He bent over to caress her shoulder as a means to get her attention. _

_She disregarded him. _

"It's done," he said more firmly this time, using his superior strength to pull her away from the kill.

_He fought her physical protests by wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her body up against him. _

"Let me go!" she fought.

"It's over now. He's gone," he said sternly, dragging them both backwards away from the body.

_Her body tried to work its way out of his grasp despite his ability to easily overpower her. _

"You killed him for your mother. It's over," he said softer this time as her body slowly stopped thrashing against his.

_She went completely still in his arms. _

"I killed him," she breathed. "I killed him," she repeated. "I killed him because he killed my mother," she stammered as her chest began to rise and fall with increasing speed. "My mom's dead," she sobbed, nearly buckling over.

_He held her up and she turned before falling into his chest. _

"She's dead," she bellowed, crying hard into his shirt.

_Her small fists pawed bitterly into his sides while his own tried to lend her some comfort by stroking her hair and her back as he hushed her cries. _

_This was new territory for him. He was the emotionally damaged one who sought comfort in her. It had never been the other way around on such a drastic scale before. Truthfully, he felt a little helpless and unsure of what to do. _

_A firm hand rested on his shoulder. He knew almost instantly that it was Elijah. _

"Take her home, brother," Elijah told him.

_He looked around at the other frightened Council members awaiting their fate. _

"She needs you to take her home. We will deal with this," Elijah assured him. "Take her Niklaus," Elijah repeated encouragingly.

_Nodding, he tried to move forwards, but Caroline wouldn't budge. _

_Rather than force her to walk, he improvised and picked her up instead. _

_The dress was a nuisance that made it difficult to hold onto her, but he managed. _

_She seemed to accept this direction in their plans as she wrapped an arm around his neck and held onto his jacket. _

_They walked by the barrage of solemn faces before he sped them back the way he had come with the Salvatores and Elena._

* * *

_He went to the front of the house, avoiding the backyard knowing there was a possibility Tyler and Dean were still there. _

_Without a word, he let her back down onto her feet and opened the front door for her. _

_She walked past him as quiet as he had been. _

_Decorations and mess from prom still lingered everywhere; another celebration gone awry. _

_Caroline and Rebekah had been so excited for this night. _

_He sighed as he followed her inside. _

_Kol stood immediately from the stairs when they entered. He looked as dishevelled as they did; his hair was mussed and his shirt was stained red with blood. _

_There was a mix of fear, regret, and sympathy written on his face. _

"Caroline," Kol stuttered anxiously.

"Where is she?" Caroline asked.

_Kol nodded his head towards the hall. _

"She's in the parlour," he said. "I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry. Rebekah and I were careless."

_Caroline said nothing. _

_He followed her as she headed reluctantly for the parlour, glaring at Kol as they passed. _

_The room was dimly lit by the glow of the fire and dim lamps. _

_Caroline paused in the entrance and he stood behind her as he waited for her to enter. _

_Her mother was on one of the sofas, still dressed in her police uniform, and it almost appeared as though she was in a deep sleep. _

_She rushed towards her mother with one shrill gasp. _

_He remained where he was to give her space. _

_Caroline kneeled on the floor beside her mother. She picked up one of her limp hands and curled her fingers around it. Her other hand ran hesitantly through her mother's hair as she examined the fatal wound. _

_A flood of tears began to pour from Caroline's eyes. _

"Mom," she whimpered under her breath as she placed her head against her mother's arm.

_Memories of Henrik's death easily came flooding back as he watched Caroline grieve from a distance. _

_He walked over to the table quietly to pour himself a drink. _

_Images of Rebekah and his mother sobbing over Henrik's body flashed in front of him with every mournful sound Caroline made. _

_Kol appeared in the entranceway and he could tell by the pained expression on his face that he was thinking about the same thing as he was. _

_Taking his drink, he decided to step out of the room to give her time alone and to confront Kol. _

_He shut the doors behind him and they returned to the foyer. _

"Rebekah told me what happened," he stated.

_Kol shook his head. _

"We weren't expecting a Council member to pull a gun on Caroline's mother. She managed to lure out all the other members without a problem, we had no reason to expect that Young would be any different," Kol said defensively. "It happened so fast."

"You should have been more careful," he spat. "You should have been ready. I let her go with you two because I thought she'd be safer. Caroline just went through hell and back and now she finds out her mother is dead," he groaned.

_He really had no strength or desire to physically lambast Kol in the way he wanted to for something he knew was out of all of their hands. _

_Instead, he allowed himself a moment to sit on the stairs like Kol had been before he returned with Caroline. _

_He hung his head and took a sip of his drink. _

"I know, Nik. We shouldn't have let her talk to him. We should have just nabbed him as soon as she had him out the door, but she insisted she could handle it," Kol informed him.

"What did you do with the hybrids?" he asked, changing the subject.

"The ones we found Rebekah and I killed. I buried them in the woods off the property with Dean and Tyler Lockwood," Kol revealed. "I know you wanted them alive but it was easier to kill them all than restrain them," he reasoned.

"The rest must have already fled town," he said angrily, only now having the time to scold himself for letting the issue slip right under his nose. "We'll need a cover story for Lockwood and that Hayley wench he was hanging around with. She was working with the hunter," he said filling in the details vaguely for Kol.

"Did you deal with the Council already?" Kol asked.

_He shook his head. _

"Caroline dealt with Pastor Young," he said, recalling the brutal way she had attacked and killed the man who shot her mother. "Elijah offered to handle the rest."

"So he met you? Rebekah and I couldn't reach him," Kol confirmed.

"He was with Katerina Petrova," he informed Kol.

_Kol glared at him with surprise. _

"Christ. Did you them time to explain or did you tear Katerina's head from her body?" Kol asked intrigued.

"I had other things on my mind. If Elijah still cares for her, he wouldn't have let her in my sight if there wasn't a good reason. We're going to discuss things when he returns from dealing with the Council," he explained.

_Kol nodded. _

"So where's the hunter now?" Kol asked.

"He's dead. Caroline killed him," he said, waiting for Kol's shocked reaction.

_Kol's face contorted in confusion. _

"How did she manage to kill him?" Kol asked. "And why isn't she hallucinating?"

_He shrugged. _

"The Salvatores and Elena distracted the hunter while I broke Caroline free from the shackles he had her in, but the hunter was able to overpower them with his weapons. He shot me in the chest with some device that probably could have ripped my heart out had he got the chance. Jeremy and Bonnie conveniently showed up at the same time. He shot Jeremy before Bonnie could subdue him with a spell," he explained.

"So Jeremy's dead?" Kol asked.

_He rolled his eyes. _

"Don't act so upset, brother. I know you have a thing for the witch," he groaned. "Anyways, after Caroline helped me remove the weapon from my chest, she left me to heal while she tended to her friends. She picked up one of the hunter's guns. Bonnie's spell only kept the hunter down for so long. The hunter attacked Caroline with the white oak stake. She shot at him as he did, but it was too late. He staked her as she killed him," he revealed.

_Kol sunk further into confusion. _

"So not only is she not having hallucinations, but she survived the white oak stake?" Kol asked.

_He nodded. _

"According to Bonnie, Caroline surviving the stake has something to do with the bracelet I gave her. As for why she's not hallucinating we suspect it has something to do with the fact that the hunter killed Jeremy - a potential hunter - before she killed him," he said. "And that's about the time Elijah and Katerina made an appearance and we ran into Rebekah and found out about Caroline's mother," he sighed, not bothering to divulge the fact that he had nearly killed himself prior to discovering that Caroline was still alive.

_He took another long sip of his drink. _

"It made me think of Henrik," Kol said lowly.

_Remaining silent, he concentrated on the burn of the liquor as Kol said their younger brother's name. _

"Henrik wasn't your fault, Nik, and neither is this. Caroline's mom wanted to help," Kol said, trying to reassure him.

_He rose from the stairs. _

"Then why do I feel guilty?" he muttered as he trudged back for the parlour to check on Caroline.

* * *

_He found her in the same spot he had left her, curled up against the front of the sofa with her head resting against her mother's arm. Her eyes were closed but he could hear her whimpering softly under her breath. _

_They opened when she heard him refill his glass. _

_He took another big swig to work up the courage to approach her. _

_Saying nothing at first, he simply sat on the floor behind her. _

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, knowing it was the least intrusive thing he could probably say right now.

_She shook her head against the cushion of the sofa. _

"I knew this would happen one day," she spoke, her voice cracking from a dry throat. "I just didn't think it would be this soon. I thought would have more time together."

_He let the palm of his hand rest cautiously on her back. She didn't shrug him away. _

"She was looking out for you tonight," he said, "at first she wanted to come with me to confront the hunter, but I convinced her to stay with Rebekah and Kol thinking it would be safer. I'm sorry, sweetheart," he murmured, swallowing another lump of guilt.

_She scoffed. _

"I wish everyone would stop saying how sorry they are," she complained as she sat up. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. My dad is dead and now my mom because of me," she concluded as she rubbed her eyes. "My dad came to town to look out for me and my mom confronted Pastor Young because of me. Jeremy is dead because of me."

"Hey," he said, tucking a few frazzled strands of her hair behind her ear. "Your parents loved you. Their deaths aren't your fault," he tried to tell her. "Jeremy's death isn't your fault."

_She fell back against his chest as she shed a few more tears. _

"I feel so empty and alone," she cried.

_He brought her closer and cupped her face. _

"You're not alone, sweetheart. I'm here... and I love you," he said.

_She nodded and sniffled, trying hard to hold back more tears and cries that were threatening to come out. _

_Looking back at her mom, she cried a little harder again. _

"What are we going to do? How are we going to explain this?" she said stressfully. "I mean my mom was the town Sh..."

"We'll take her to the Young farm," Elijah interrupted from the entranceway.

_They both glanced up at his brother. _

"Your mother's patrol car is still there. Rebekah and Kol are going to bring the other Council members there. A fire, that will be the explanation," Elijah said calmly.

_Caroline looked at her mother's body and then back to Elijah. He could tell she hated the idea of having her mother's body go up in flames at the Young farm. She wanted a proper burial for her. _

_To his surprise, she nodded. _

"Okay," she agreed.

"I know this is difficult for you, Caroline. And I don't want to make it any harder, but we don't exactly have a lot of time," Elijah said, trying to handle the subject delicately.

"Just give me a minute," she requested, looking between him and Elijah.

_They both nodded and he stepped out of the room with his brother. _

_When they were well within the privacy the hallway offered, Elijah began to talk. _

"How is she doing?" he asked.

_He rubbed a hand through his hair and shrugged. _

"One minute she's inconsolable, the next she's in denial or blaming herself and the next after that she seems completely fine...like just now," he said.

_Elijah nodded. _

"So did Katerina disappear already?" he said, ensuring that his brother would know he had not forgotten of her appearance tonight.

_Before Elijah could give him a reply, Caroline was standing in the hall, apparently having all the time she needed to say her final goodbyes to her mother. _

"I'm done. You can take her now," she said meekly.

"Thank you, Caroline," Elijah spoke softly.

_He stepped forwards. _

"Let me take you upstairs," he offered.

* * *

_His drink from earlier was still waiting on the table in the sitting room, alongside the drink he had poured for Caroline. The music he had put on to drown out the prom noise was now silent. _

_It was hard not to think about how differently the night would have played out had they met in this room like they had planned to. _

_They probably would have been fast asleep by now - exhausted from a night of lovemaking, and eager to reach tomorrow; the day they were supposed to depart for New York City. _

_He briefly glanced at Caroline's suit case. He supposed that trip would have to wait. _

_She was quiet, but almost too serene and he found it unnerving. _

"What can I do?" he asked, a little unsure of what would be the most helpful.

_He discarded his jacket as he waited for her reply. _

_Did she want to talk about things? Did she want to soak his shirt with her tears a bit more? Did she want to try and rest? _

_She started for the bathroom. _

"I want to take a shower," she decided. "I need you to help me," she said.

_Normally he would have perked up at that request but he knew that tonight it was far from sexual. She needed to cleanse herself of the night she had just been through. She needed to wash away the guilt, the pain, the sadness, and the fear...all of it. Removing the physical signs of it - the blood and dirt - would be the first step. _

_He followed her into the bathroom as she stood at the vanity and removed the expensive earrings he had gifted to her. It surprised him that they had not fallen out at some point during the night. Next, she started on the pins that had somehow remained in her hair. He hadn't even realized how many had helped produce her hairstyle for the night until he saw them all sitting in a pile on the counter. _

"My head hurts," she commented with a soft laugh as she patted her scalp and curly ball of hair.

_He made an effort to smile faintly, though he felt uncomfortable. _

_Caroline had just been through a traumatizing night - he himself had almost believed he had lost her - he wasn't sure they should be smiling or laughing. _

"Can you unclasp the top of the dress and unzip me," she asked casually, reaching behind her to point in the direction of the fastener.

_He put his one hand on her shoulder while he undid the clasp and pulled down the zipper with ease. _

"Adrian would probably have a heart attack if he saw this dress now," she mused.

_He nodded in agreement as she shimmied out of the gown. _

_Underneath she had on a cream coloured lace bustier and a matching thong, which under different circumstances he would have appreciated more than he could now. _

_He helped her unclip the bustier for her before went ahead and started the shower for her. _

_She stepped out of the dress at her feet and met him at the shower door. _

"Are you coming in?" she asked.

_He tried his best to hold back his judgement. Truthfully, he could use a shower, but he would wait until she was done. He wanted to give her space. He didn't want to suffocate her or make it seem as though nothing had happened tonight, even though she was apparently at that stage of denial. _

"No, I'll wait. Take your time," he told her before slipping back into the bedroom.

_In the meanwhile, he returned to his earlier spot on the chaise with the remainder of his drink. _

_For the briefest of moments he closed his eyes and tried to bury the chaos the night had brought. It worked easier than he had expected. When he opened his eyes next, the clock on the mantel informed him that more than a half hour had passed. _

_The shower was still running and that concerned him. _

_He knew Caroline had a habit of indulging in lengthy showers, but not this long. _

_Too concerned to knock, he pushed open the bathroom door. _

_There, in the shower, Caroline was sitting on the tile with her knees pulled up to her chest__,__ sobbing uncontrollably as the spray of the shower rained down on her. _

_It seemed her earlier placid mood was merely the calm before the storm. _

_He flung open the glass door and promptly turned the showerhead off. _

"Caroline," he sighed. "Come here, sweetheart," he said soothingly.

_Disregarding the fact that her body was dripping with water, he picked her up off the tile. _

_She clung to him desperately, clutching his shirt with her hands as she cried incoherently into his shoulder and wrapping her legs around his waist. _

_He grabbed a towel from the rack and draped it over her back. _

_Carrying her into the bedroom, he sat with her on the bed. _

_He just sat there. He stroked her wet hair, he tried his best to dry her off, and he whispered what he thought she might like or need to hear. He told her that it would be okay; that it would get better; that he was here for her, but still she cried. _

_And when he thought she was close to giving up from exhaustion, she cried some more. _

_He was growing frustrated; not with her, but with himself. Nothing he was doing or saying was helping. _

_This almost seemed worse than hunter induced hallucinations. At least they granted you brief reprieves. Caroline's emotional pain was ceaseless and ever present. _

_When it became almost too overwhelming, he lifted her head from his shoulder and looked her in the eye pleadingly. _

"She's gone," Caroline whimpered.

_He nodded. _

_She cried. _

"It hurts so bad," she whined through muffled sobs.

"What can I do, love? What can I do?" he begged her.

_She balled her fists into his chest. _

"Make it stop. Please make it stop," she moaned hoarsely.

_He looked at her helplessly. The only thing he knew that would make this better was if he could bring her mother back and that was impossible. _

"Compel me," she said. "Compel me to forget," she urged.

_He eyed her reluctantly. Her suggestion made him uneasy. _

"Caroline...I-I..." he hesitated.

"Please," she begged. "If you love me you'll do this for me," she reasoned.

"The pain will still be there deep down, sweetheart," he explained. "And it might not even work because of the vervain you ingested earlier."

_She shook her head. _

"Anything is better than this," she argued through some more tears. "I'm asking you to do this...please Nik, just try," she repeated.

_Curling his lips, he searched her eyes for sincerity. _

_He was conflicted. He wanted to do this for her because it was the only thing he knew he could do at this point besides being her shoulder to cry on. However, the idea of erasing the entire night from her memory didn't seem right. _

"I can't compel you to forget everything, love," he said shaking his head, "because at some point you're going to want your memories back and the pain will be a thousand times worse," he explained.

_She sighed disappointedly. _

"But I can compel you to believe certain things; to feel certain things to ease your suffering, if that's what you want," he offered.

"Yes," she said, "please do it."

_Nodding, he swallowed hard and brushed his fingers under her eyes to wipe away the tears. _

_Exhaling sharply, he focused his eyes and caught hers immediately, bringing her under his compulsion._

_He held her face in his hands. _

"Caroline, you need to listen to me," he instructed, "you had a great time at prom tonight and you looked beautiful, but a lot of terrible things also happened tonight; the most terrible being that your mother was killed by Pastor Young. It was an unfortunate tragedy for you especially. You're sad, but you know that your mother loved you deeply and was only trying to help. You know that she wouldn't want you to be sad. She would want you to move on and continue living your life without guilt or remorse over her death. You want to honour her wishes," he said before releasing her from his compulsion.

_He sucked in a breath as she blinked a few times in an attempt to process what happened. He had compelled her, but he hadn't compelled her to forget what he had done. _

_She released a long sigh of relief and hugged him tightly. _

"Thank you," she murmured against his neck.

_The compulsion had worked seemingly__._

_They stayed quietly like that for a few minutes until she pulled back and kissed his lips before asking him for a t-shirt to wear to bed. _

_He nodded and left her on the bed to track down a t-shirt of his for her to wear. _

_Selecting a white one, he tossed it to her and she dressed herself. _

"I should go talk to Elijah," he noted. "Do you think you'll be able to get some rest?" he asked.

_She nodded. _

"I'm exhausted," she said. "Tuck me in?" she requested as she pulled back the covers.

_He walked over to the right side of his bed - the side she had grown accustomed to sleeping on. _

_Her body curled into the mattress and her head sunk comfortably into the pillow. _

_She looked up at him with a small appreciative smile as he brought the covers up to her shoulder. _

_Her hand clenched his before he could leave her side and he sat down on the edge beside her. _

"I want to have a private service for my mom tomorrow at the cemetery," she said.

"That can be arranged," he said.

"And then I want to leave for New York like we were supposed to," she continued.

_He arched an uncertain eyebrow. _

"It's what my mom would have wanted us to do," she concluded.

_He nodded. _

"If it's what you want," he confirmed.

_She nodded back with her eyes now closed. _

_The grip on his hand loosened. _

"Klaus?" she spoke as he went to stand. "Remember what you told me about Elijah and Katherine," she stated before rolling over towards the centre of the bed.

_He had been reluctant about compulsion at first, but now as he watched her drift off to a relatively peaceful sleep he believed it was worth it. Nothing he said to her during the compulsion had been a lie. It was all truth. The compulsion just did a better job of getting through to her than anything else._

* * *

_As he left the room it surprised him that their short conversation about Elijah and Katerina had even entered her mind given everything that had happened tonight. _

_She wanted him to recall the fond way he had spoke to her about understanding Elijah's betrayal for Katerina in lieu of his feelings for her. In other words, she wanted him to hear Elijah out before jumping to conclusions. She wanted him to go easy on his brother by relating to him. She had a soft spot for Elijah. He assumed that mercy extended to Katerina, but he wasn't sure he could muster mercy for the woman who had caused him so much grief over the centuries. He wasn't sure Caroline could for the woman who had turned her into a vampire. Regardless, he was curious to hear Elijah and Katerina__'s explanation. _

_He found them in the parlour. Caroline's mother was now gone and Katerina was sitting on the other sofa anxiously while Elijah stood at the fireplace mantel pensively. Both had drinks in hand. _

_When Katerina noticed him standing in the entranceway, he could have sworn her face went a lighter shade of white. _

_Even Elijah seemed less than his usual calm and confident demeanour. _

"Caroline?" Elijah inquired.

"She's resting," he said, musing at how Katerina flinched when he walked past towards the liquor.

_Elijah's eyebrows rose. _

"That's good," Elijah commented.

"I compelled her," he revealed, unconcerned if Katerina heard, she knew too much just by being here anyways.

_Elijah's face quickly turned to one of disapproval. _

"She asked me to," he said fast, coming to his own defence.

_His brother's tense and contorted expression relaxed. _

"So she doesn't remember tonight?" Elijah confirmed.

_He shook his head as he poured himself a drink. _

"She remembers everything, I just compelled her to come to terms with it quicker," he explained. "It seemed to calm her down."

_Watching Elijah's reaction as he sipped from the glass, he could tell that his brother was just as uneasy with the idea of compulsion in this case as he was. _

"Caroline was beside herself. She needed something," he reasoned.

_Elijah nodded. _

"Kol took her mother's body to the Young property," Elijah said. "He's meeting Rebekah there with the rest of the Council," Elijah explained.

_This seemed like as good a time as any to confront his brother about the vampire doppelganger sitting on his sofa. _

_He walked back around so that he was in her sight line. _

"I had asked Kol and Rebekah tonight to get your assistance with the Council and my hybrids. They told me they were unable to reach you. If I'm not mistaken, you were here during the prom for most of the night. Dare I ask what was occupying you, Elijah?" he asked, exchanging looks between both Katerina and his brother.

"It's not what you think, Niklaus," Elijah assured him, glancing at Katerina as he sipped from his own glass.

"Is it not?" he asked with mild amusement.

"Katerina came to me," Elijah explained.

_He laughed, eyeing Katerina with intrigue. _

"So after your relentless pursuit of her, she finally comes after you instead," he mused.

_Despite Katerina__'s fear of him, he could still see the disdain and look of protest on her face. _

"It's not..." she started.

"Did I ask you?" he demanded sternly.

_Elijah tensed and urged Katerina to back down with a subtle glare. _

_Her eyes rolled discreetly as she fell back against the sofa with a frustrated huff. _

"She confronted me earlier tonight, informing me she had something she thought would be of use to us...to you," Elijah informed him. "She had the hunter in her possession. He was bound in your study. She wanted to use him as a bargaining chip for her freedom. She even gave me the white oak stake as a further sign of good faith," Elijah continued. "I decided to oblige her, so I instructed her to go wait in my room while I sought you out to negotiate. I made the mistake of wasting time by trying to speak with the hunter first. One of your hybrids, Chris was it? He ambushed me and daggered me," Elijah said, clearly embarrassed that he had such a lapse in judgement.

"That is why Kol and Rebekah couldn't reach you..." he observed as he waited for Elijah to continue his story.

"After a time of no reply, Katerina returned to the study and found me. Chris was dead having used the dagger on me, but the hunter had escaped with the white oak stake. By that point all of you were gone in search of Caroline, your hybrids, and the Council," Elijah said. "Discovering this from Rebekah, Katerina and I rushed to the Lockwood cellar, knowing that the stake that could kill you was in the hunter's possession. Ironically when we arrived, Katerina had to save you from yourself," Elijah finished.

_He bit his tongue in contemplation as he mulled over the details Elijah enlightened him with. _

"So you wanted to use the hunter and the white oak stake you apparently stole from me in a bargain for your freedom?" he questioned as he stepped in front of Katerina.

_She nodded and he cocked his head curiously to the side. _

"I'm curious to know how you became involved in all of this in the first place? How did you know of the hunter? How did you find him?" he wondered, feeling a little outshone by the conniving doppelganger.

_He waited for her to speak expectantly. _

"I'm always searching for a way to secure my freedom," she shrugged. "Just because I ran from you and Mystic Falls when I had the chance didn't mean I stopped keeping tabs on things. I overheard that you were searching for a particular hunter thanks to the naive Matt Donovan. I couldn't figure out why a pathetic hunter would be of any interest to you until I suspected that he could be one of the Five," she said.

"How do you know about the Five?" he asked.

_She looked past him towards Elijah. _

_He glared at his brother from over his shoulder. _

"I told Katerina of them once when I first brought her to stay with us in the fifteenth century," Elijah revealed.

_A devious smirk struggled to break upon Katerina__'s lips as he rolled his eyes at his brother's past gullibility. _

"So while the hunter was focused on you, and you were focused on dead end leads, I was focused on the hunter," she said proudly. "After you sabotaged your chances finding the hunter at his house on wheels, naturally, he sought out the Council for help. Once I used some deductive reasoning, it wasn't that hard to find him at one of the Council member's rental properties. I did my best Elena impression, got myself inside, and took him by surprise," she mused.

_He scowled, feeling slighted that the doppelganger had managed to secure the hunter before he had the opportunity. _

"Only it seemed you had underestimated how my hybrids factored into the equation," he said, recovering his ego to some degree.

"It seems you did as well," she countered.

_He hissed under his breath and glared at Elijah. _

"So what would you have me do brother? Why have you dared to bring Katerina to me when all I've desired for centuries is the sight of her mutilated dead body?" he asked, smirking when he heard Katerina's breathing catch in her throat. "I mean, she really has nothing to negotiate with now, does she?" he pointed out.

_He tensed as Katerina stood up from the sofa and moved towards the fireplace. She removed the white oak stake from her jacket and pitched it into the flame. _

"Because I want to do this right, Niklaus. I didn't betray you then and I don't wish to betray you now. I ask that you show Katerina mercy in lieu of her efforts; in lieu of the fact that she saved your life," Elijah proceeded.

"She saved my life as a means of self-preservation," he countered.

_Elijah shrugged. _

"Do her motivations really matter? You are still here, aren't you? Still here with Caroline, all because of Katerina's quick reflexes," Elijah pointed out to him. "And can you really hold her desire to preserve her own life against her?" Elijah continued. "What happened was centuries ago, and if I recall, you slaughtered her entire family. Isn't that enough? Why have you not treated Elena in the same manner? Or scorned our sister for driving Elena off of Wickery Bridge?" Elijah wondered. "Are you really still that furious over Katerina, or is your desire to see her dead the result of your uncanny ability to hold a grudge?"

_He grimaced at Elijah's own uncanny ability to decipher his flaws and inconsistencies in a reasoned manner. _

_Elijah always had a way of being right and that annoyed him to no end. _

_He moved closer towards Katerina and it provoked the reaction from Elijah that he was expecting. In an instant, Elijah's arm flashed protectively in front of her. _

_Smirking, he stepped back. _

"After all these years, you still care for her, don't you, Elijah?" he asked.

_Elijah's jaw clenched hesitantly, but he still nodded nonetheless. _

"I do," Elijah responded. "I'm told it is a vampire's greatest weakness - one that I apparently am not immune to."

_He stood there silently, contemplating his next move; trying to find a balance between his resentment and Caroline's desire for him to be understanding. _

"From one weak vampire to another, if you will not spare Katerina in lieu of her deeds, than I ask that you spare her out of empathy and compassion for me," Elijah pleaded.

_And that was it; Elijah had found the persuasive line of reasoning that he would find difficult to resist. _

_He glowered down at the glass in his hand. _

"A vampire once told me that love could be a vampire's greatest strength," he chuckled to himself.

_His eyes met Elijah's and he became ignorant of Katerina__'s presence. _

"You are my brother Elijah, and it is the brotherly affection and loyalty I have for you - that you have had for me - however misguided, that gives me the strength to tame my desire for revenge. I empathize with your affliction more than you know and I pity the both of us with equal measure," he said, pausing to empty his glass. "Before Caroline and I depart from this god forsaken town tomorrow evening, there will be a private service for her mother. I expect that you will be there. After that, you...and your Katerina are free to do as you please," he said.

_An immediate sigh of relief escaped both Katerina and Elijah's lips. _

_He darkened his expression for one final warning. _

"Mark my words though, Katerina Petrova, if you should ever decide to betray my brother's unwavering graciousness or my irrational generosity towards you, I will not hesitate for a moment to rescind my kindness. My mercy for you comes by your significance to my brother only. The day you become deceitfully insignificant is the day I will hunt you down and destroy you," he threatened her with a pointed finger.

_She nodded with a quivering lip and trembling body and for a moment he half expected her to bow to him and address him as her lord. _

_Despite his foreboding, Elijah seemed satisfied with his terms. _

"I am grateful, Niklaus," Elijah nodded, "thank you, brother," he added.

_He shrugged and tipped his glass in Elijah's direction. _

"Family above all," he conceded.

* * *

_She awoke to the sound of a door clicking open and shut. Her eyes fluttered open against the soft pillow her head hadn't left since it rested there the night before. _

_The sun was dripping into the room and without stepping outside she knew it was going to be a warm spring day. _

_She felt like she had slept for the better part of the day but the clock on the bedside table indicated it had only been a little over eight hours. Still, she had got the rest she needed after a night like last night. _

_Her eyes were still a little puffy__,__ and they stung from the tears she had shed the night before, but she felt calmer this morning. Her mind was at ease and that is what mattered most. _

_The bed shifted as she forced her eyes completely open. _

_He was sitting on his side of the bed, still dressed in the clothes he had worn from the night before. _

_And now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall him ever coming to bed. _

_She rolled onto her back. _

"You haven't been to bed yet?" she asked curiously.

_He shrugged. _

"I got a few hours," he told her. "I had arrangements to make and loose ends to tie up before we leave," he informed her.

_She suspected some of those arrangements had to do with her mother. _

"Everything is set for this afternoon," he explained.

_She nodded appreciatively. _

_He was the reason her mind was at ease despite everything. _

"Thank you...for everything," she said, referring to well...everything; for saving her.

_He pushed the blankets back on his side and lied down on the bed beside her with a tired sigh. _

"There's no need to thank me," he replied.

_She shuffled closer to him. _

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"I feel sad," she admitted.

_He glanced at her with concern. _

"But at the same time I feel really happy...like I know things are going to be okay. It's weird," she described, knowing her contradictory feelings were the result of his compulsion.

"They're already reporting on the house fire at the Young farm. The town seems to have bought it. We'll be gone before the local press can harass you about your mother," he told her.

_That was a relief to her. The last thing she wanted was to be here for that. The last thing she wanted was to here at all anymore. She needed to move on from Mystic Falls, especially now. _

"What about Tyler and Jeremy?" she wondered, suddenly reminding herself that they had lost more than just her mother.

"I think Kol was working on a story for Tyler's mother about him leaving town," he told her. "When I talked to Stefan earlier, he had mentioned explaining Jeremy's death as a suicide."

_While it was gruesome to think about, it seemed like a workable explanation. Jeremy had tried to commit suicide in the past. _

"Do you know how Elena is holding up?" she asked, worried about her friend who had lost the rest of her family like she had.

_He shrugged. _

"She's numb right now. In shock, I suppose," he said.

"Elena will never get the cure now unless we find another hunter," she realized.

_She rested her head on his shoulder. _

"You'll never have anymore hybrids," she reminded him cautiously.

_He scoffed under his breath. _

_Propping himself up on his left side, he looked down at her. _

"The last thing I want now is more hybrids, sweetheart. After last night, all I want is to get us out of this town," he stated.

_She nodded in agreement. _

_Reaching up, she curled a hand around his neck and brought him down close to her. _

_She kissed his lips gently and relished in the sensation she had almost lost the privilege of last night when the hunter staked her. _

_His hands cupped her face securely as he deepened the kiss. _

_After last night she was devastated and had never felt more uncertain, but those feelings were quickly brushed aside when he kissed her as though his life depended on it. She never felt more sure or elated about anything. _

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

_He studied her for a few moments before kissing her bottom lip as he reached into his pants' pocket. _

_Pulling her left hand down from his neck, he clutched it in his. _

"I went to see Bonnie this morning. The bracelet is still spelled and she managed to fix it," he informed her. "She had to improvise though."

_She expected him to clasp a bracelet around her wrist, but she was surprised instead when she felt a cool metal band hug her finger as he slid it on. _

"I love you, Caroline."

* * *

_She stared down at the shimmering ring, moving it around her finger with her thumb as she reflected on the day while Klaus answered a phone call beside her. _

_It had been a bittersweet afternoon. _

_A small group of them had gathered in the cemetery to say goodbye to her mother. There was no body, but Klaus had arranged for - or compelled - a beautiful headstone on such short notice. _

_The sun shone bright and warm and she couldn't conceive of better weather. It was a sign from her mother, she suspected. _

_She was thankful to see that Elena, Stefan, and Damon had all made an effort to come even though Elena was struggling with the death of her own brother. Bonnie and Matt had come too. Klaus's siblings were there also, although Elijah's plus one had surprised her. _

_It had slipped her mind to ask Klaus earlier for the details behind her appearance and how he ultimately dealt with her. _

_For obvious reasons, she had never been much of a fan of Katherine Pierce, but she respected the love Elijah seemed to have for her. It seemed that Klaus had come to understand and respect that love as well. _

_They all placed a few flowers and she said a few words before she said another tearful goodbye to her mother. _

_Their relationship had never been the best, but her mother had always loved her unconditionally, and that's what mattered most to her now. _

_From saying goodbye to her mother she then said her goodbyes to everyone else. _

_She thanked Bonnie for her help and hugged both her and Matt goodbye. She made the Salvatores swear to always look out for Elena and re-extended Stefan an invitation to come visit. _

_She hugged Elena for dear life and offered one last time to stay behind for her. Elena urged her to leave, assuring her that it was only a matter of time until she did the same before she promised to keep in touch. _

_Kol announced his return to Las Vegas with a subtle open-ended invitation to Bonnie to come visit when she was ready. _

_Rebekah had decided to stay behind a while longer, much to Klaus's chagrin, to finish out the school year. She also offered to keep an eye on her mother's house for her until she returned to Mystic Falls with Klaus to confront it. Right now she wasn't ready and she appreciated Rebekah's thoughtfulness. _

_To her amusement, Elijah informed her that Katherine was dragging him to the Barbados to work on his tan. It was refreshing to see such a playful side to him. He assured her that he would be there for her if she ever needed to talk or needed someone to help her put Klaus in his place. _

_She would miss the friends she had grown up with and she would miss living in a house with Klaus's siblings who she had developed such a fondness for, but they agreed the separation would not be permanent. She would see her friends again, and Klaus's siblings agreed that they would reunite in the very near future. _

_It was time to move forward and leave Mystic Falls behind. _

"_Flight fifty-seven thirty-six to New York, LaGuardia is now boarding."_

"That's our flight," Klaus announced, taking her out of her thoughts. "Are you ready?"

_He put his phone in his jacket pocket as he stood up from his chair. _

_She nodded and rose beside him. _

_With her carry-on bag in one hand and Klaus's hand in the other, she headed for the gate with him. _

"Who were you talking to on the phone? It sounded important," she asked.

_Klaus shrugged. _

"Just an associate of mine," he replied. "How would you feel about taking a trip to New Orleans after New York?"

* * *

**A/N: Muah. So what did you think? You might have noticed that I left it a little open ended. ; )**

**Thanks so much for reading! I love you! Please let me know what you thought. I really hope I didn't disappoint you. The majority of you wanted a happy-ish ending, so this is that. **


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